Police - Countdown 13 Days

Today's song is: Every Breath you Take  .. The Police

Policing in Bangkok is quite a contrast compared to my hometown of Ottawa. In my home town, the boys and girls in blue make a very good living. I would think they are very comfortably upper middle class, in the same pay bracket as teachers, but without the 2 degrees that teachers need. Police college seems to be the ticket to ride. Speaking of riding, the police I see ride around in a full size sedan all by themselves. Said vehicle is comfy and come equipped with a computer to stay on top of things. The usual weapon of choice would be a Glock and maybe a taser. These days the officer is just as likely to be a female as well as male. They work shifts, which is not much fun but seldom get called in when not on duty, and if so, overtime kicks in.  All in all I respect the officers in my home town and the job they do, but they are paid well to do it.

Contrast that description with this:

www.thebigchilli.com/features/why-its-not-easy-being-a-thai-police-officer

Here in Bangkok, the officers mostly attended police college as well. However, policing is a lo-so job and certainly does not pay well. The boys in brown (mostly men) ride around town on a 125 cc motorbike, 2 to a bike, a bike that they pay for themselves. The officers where I live also have to deal with thousands of mostly undocumented workers from neighboring countries such as Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia. If you think domestic violence is a trouble situation you should see a knife fight at the Silom Sauna between nationalities.

The boys in brown have to pay for their own uniform, badges, and gun.  Many do not own a gun as they are too expensive for their salaries. There is no police union to look after them and worst of all, no Tim Hortons, which is probably a good thing as they could not afford to buy a Timmy's.

Imagine that 1/3 of your traffic stops do not even have a license, not to mention insurance. The carnage on Thai streets and highways is exponentially greater than Canada. Helmets are mandatory by Thai law and hardly anyone wears them. There are no stop signs, and traffic lights are a suggestion. Speed limits are hardly ever enforced. I often see whole families of 5, no helmets, on one 125 cc motorbike.

However, the boys in brown in my district know me by sight and always have a hello and smile for me. They know their area of the city, something you can't get from the inside of an air-conned or heated sedan. Kind of like walking the beat must have been like. I really feel for them in rush hour Bangkok traffic where they daily stand at an intersection for an hour at a time, wearing a face mask to cut down on pollution. When I see a officer directing traffic in Ottawa (due to an accident, not daily), there is always a sedan present with another officer ready to take over when his/her arms get tired.

I respect the job the boys in brown do for me and I always feel safe in Bangkok where I can walk downtown at night at any hour of the night. However, I would not wish their job on anyone.

TTYL