My experiences with Thai Police

[Grumpy Old Man]

I would like to share my interactions and experiences with the Thai Police in and around Chiangmai over this last six months; there are many stories online about the Thai Police being corrupt, lazy, not fit for purpose, incompetent and generally a total waste of good skin so I would like to share my experiences.

 

Many people might find this strange but I keep a detailed log of all my Police interactions, check point stops and general enquires, you never know when you might need the information.

 

My vehicle is fitted with a forward and rear facing colour, full HD and infrared camera system, this makes keeping a traffic or check point stop log much easier.

 

On average I have been stopped at a check point once a day for the last six months the most check point stops in a twenty four hour period being SEVEN; all of the check points I've been stopped at have been well laid out normally reducing the road to one lane for the check point management with at least five officers.

 

I have only ever been asked once for a driving licence and on production of my Thai driving license was told OK and passed through the gate on wheels used at the check point.

 

On many occasions when I lower my driver side window and in my best British English say "Good morning, afternoon or evening how can I help you" and the Police Office sees an old very white guy they don't even engage in conversation and just wave me through.

 

I have only even been asked once if I have been drinking whisky before driving and with a polite "No drink whisky" I was waved on; the officers can tell at a glance if you're worth further investigation.

 

Two non check point interactions with Thai Police I want to share; when my wife and I returned to our home in the private village where we live the front door was open / ajar and Mrs GOM said she was sure she'd closed and locked it, we both backed away from our home and contacted the village security / gate house, they called the Police and within ten minutes two armed officers arrive, checked their weapons and did a house sweep; very impressed with their professionalism.

 

Last Saturday my friend called me at 07:00Hrs announcing he was in jail, could I come and help him; jail turned out to be a holding cell at a district Police Station. I got the location for Google Maps and after a nice coffee took a leisurely drive to the Police Station on entering the Police Station I was greeted by two officers who spoke basic English and asked how they can help me; with my very bad Thai and Google translator they understood I was here to try and help Mr . . . . . who I understand is in their custody, very much to my surprise they invited me through to the holding cell area and there was my friend looking very sorry for himself.

 

Every interaction, check point stop and general enquiry I've had has been conducted in a very professional manner, maybe I've just been lucky.

[Vacuum]

49 minutes ago, Grumpy Old Man said:

I have been stopped at a check point once a day for the last six months

In 18 years, I've been stopped 2 times at check points.

[jonwilly]

As both a Scooter rider and car driver I have been stopped by police while on my bike more times then I could mention.

Always polite and after a check on licence sent on my way with a smile.

During the year following the passing on of the late Head of State I wore a badge the Thai 9, given by Thai friends, more that once when they saw this I was waved on without stopping and usually a polite nod of the head or even a salute on a couple of occasions.

Never been stopped in my car apart from the time I went through a Red Light.

B400 fine and good laugh down the Police station when reliving me of my Baht.

 

john

[watcharacters]

1 hour ago, Grumpy Old Man said:

On many occasions when I lower my driver side window and in my best British English say "Good morning, afternoon or evening how can I help you" and the Police Office sees an old very white guy they don't even engage in conversation and just wave me through.

 

t doesn't even require British English  for me to get the same result.       

[bontang]

Thai Police are Ok as long you have all you credentials in order, ,Driving License, Car/Truck Rego, & be polite,                      If you respect them they will always respect you,  

[Kieran00001]

53 minutes ago, Vacuum said:

In 18 years, I've been stopped 2 times at check points.

 

Your 18 years with only 2 stops only demonstrates that you have barely been anywhere in 18 years, travel through half the provinces of Thailand and you, like every single car, will get stopped.

[rumak]

when on occassion i am stopped I do not act upset.   I show my thai drivers license, if asked a question

i answer politely.   don't get stopped a lot since i do not live in the city where there are lots of checkpoints, but when i was the police were nice.   

been here 25 years......and have driven in almost every province.   

 

[Thailand]

Driven almost every day for the many years I have been here, only ever stopped once in Chiang Mai city and the province. I guess I am lucky or the op is very unlucky.

 

Couple of times, when driving between provinces  going up North, but basically quick look and wave through.

 

[EL159]

The OP must either be very unlucky or very suspicious. I ve been in Chiang Mai 13 years ( and yes, in answer to another poster I do get around quite a bit!). Apart from the frequent checks you get in different towns if you travel during Songkran, I would estimate that I ve been stopped no more than five times in thirteen years.

 

I drive confidently but safe, I drive politely despite provocation from crap drivers, an I live a normal healthy life.

 

The OP had to effectively bail his pal out of jail at 7am. These days thats the classic drink driving scenario. I guess if you live that kind of life youre kind of asking for it! Not the OP I know, but I also havent had any of my friends banged up because I keep good law abiding friends!

[Stubby]

I've been stopped numerous times at check points over the years. Every time the cops fined me I had done something wrong. All other times I get thanked for cooperating and get to go on my merry way. So, no gripes here. Few too many check points perhaps, but then there's a lot of wrongdoers, so it's probably a good thing. Not that check points seem to be much of a deterrent for bad driving. Still, they have forced more folks to wear motorcycle helmets from 9am to 3pm, though, so that's a good thing.  

 

Stubby

[Jackie66]

Bored? hehe Sounds like you are seeking out police checkpoints so you can write something in your logs ??

[catman20]

14 hours ago, bontang said:

Thai Police are Ok as long you have all you credentials in order, ,Driving License, Car/Truck Rego, & be polite,                      If you respect them they will always respect you,  

agreed ?

[Briggsy]

I am firmly convinced that the OP's experiences with the Thai police would be markedly different if his vehicle were a Honda Click and he was 25 years old.

 

For a start there would be a lot more fines. A lot more.

 

Thai police checkpoints are there primarily as revenue-raising activities. They do serve other functions. Old white guy driving a four-wheeled vehicle = way too much time and effort for probably zero return. "Go go go" as the Thai police say.

[animalmagic]

I have been stopped several times and questioned at a few; although one was trying to practice spoken English.  Have always found them to be polite and asking relevant questions for the purpose of the roadblock.  The roadblock/checkpoint was reasonably well laid out, in a relatively safe location for operation and lit to the best of their ability within the constraints of local street lighting.

The only problem I had was when driving back from Phitsanulok with my wife who, on seeing the police roadblock/checkpoint, immediately lunged for the glove box.  At first I did wonder what she kept in there, but it all became clear as she pulled out her lipstick; apparently its good to look your best when you open the window.  Learnt a lot from that one; I don't wear lipstick but it's now kept in the small tray next to the gear stick!

[simoh1490]

If the OP has in fact been stopped at police check points on average once a day for six months I can only presume he lives right next to a police checkpoint and has no alternate route from where he lives. I've lived in Chiang Mai for 16 years and I drive a lot, I never get stopped when driving locally or even around the city. The only times I may get stopped is if I head up to Chiang Rai or South to Central Thailand and even then I almost never get stopped, just waved through. I think I've only been actually stopped and asked questions maybe four or five times in those 16 years so there's something incomplete about the OP's story.

[Thailand]

Never been very good at maths but I believe that the op is saying he has been stopped over 180 times in the last 6 months? ?

[williet98248]

I wonder if the OP means he drives through a checkpoint at least once a day and is just asked a question or waved through.  When I drove a motorbike I was always stopped and asked for documentation.  In the car the only time I have been fined was for not having my seat belt fastened, all other times just asked a question or waved through immediately.  I have been involved in a couple of auto accidents and every time the police have been very professional.  The cops do not always go against the farang driver.  The last one in which a motorbike crashed my car the cop asked me if I had insurance.  'Yes.'  'Don't worry then, this happens all the time!'  One time a tuk tuk dented my front bumper I had dash cam footage.  When the owner of the tuk tuk started getting angry and irate they threw him up against the wall and told him to calm down or they would arrest him!   Made him pay for the damage.  Sweet!  If you don't have a DC; get one!

[stephenterry]

In CM, always been waved through in car. Got a clamp once for parking at 4pm in a restricted time zone, cost 400 baht. Police seem more interested in either suspected drug runners on highway 11, or scooter riders in town. The latter has its funny moments. Watching the block from across the moat at Mad Dog, many helmetless riders scoot off down Loh Kroh escape route, and a few older helmetless Thais just wave as they thunder by on their dilapidated machines. The majority stopped are wearing helmets which probably signifies Chinese and tourists cash cows.

 

Lampang is somewhat different, though. Police are tough on enforcement of practically every law they can conceive as being broken. There is a huge tub for fines. Never drive over 90kph or you'll be caught on camera and fined by post later, as my nearest and dearest was.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

 

This is one of those real head-scratcher posts ThaiVisa used to be famous for. 

 

How does anyone manage to get stopped once every day.. that would take a dedicated effort. 

 

Or maybe the OP just stops by himself at every checkpoint?  That's not how Thais do.  (Keep starting straight ahead and don't stop.)

 

I stopped once I think when a checkpoint created a particularly nasty and unnecessary traffic jam to ask the officer if he knew what they were doing creating traffic jams.  Dude got angry with me; he wasn't very polite at all.

[simoh1490]

5 minutes ago, WinnieTheKhwai said:

 

This is one of those real head-scratcher posts ThaiVisa used to be famous for. 

 

How does anyone manage to get stopped once every day.. that would take a dedicated effort. 

 

Or maybe the OP just stops by himself at every checkpoint?  That's not how Thais do.  (Keep starting straight ahead and don't stop.)

 

I stopped once I think when a checkpoint created a particularly nasty and unnecessary traffic jam to ask the officer if he knew what they were doing creating traffic jams.  Dude got angry with me; he wasn't very polite at all.

Give'em sh*t winnie, they should know better.

[HooHaa]

Seriously, all of you, who cares?

[cmsally]

As a farang woman, I am not in their chosen demographic and what's even worse is I might know their mother or wife; so always get waved through!

Only got stopped once by the army, there was a coup or maybe the airport takeover and a curfew had been announced. It was terribly inconvenient as at the time I was having dinner at the (what was then) Oriental Dhara Devi. So living in the centre of town, I drove into a desolate Chiang Mai city centre with an army checkpoint near the railway station.

The army person looked a bit confused as to whether he should let me pass, I pointed out to him I would take the nearest soi if he didn't , so all was good, off I went!

[Sparkles]

Never been stopped in our car around the city and surrounds in 11 years.Motor bikes are a seperate issue .A friend who has been coming to CM for 20 years was recently stopped 3 times in one day in the old city,he was not impressed.Had, as always, all the correct paperwork,licence,helmet.

Pity those police cant get mobile on the roads and stop the carnage 

 

Once you travel to other provinces ie Chiang Rai ,north to Fang you will get a cursory stop.For us its always been a wave through. Only once did an officer speak "Good morning Sir"

 

They are, I guess, basically looking for illegal entries or they would be asking to open the boot lid to check for illegal substances

[Aussieroaming]

Sounds like Benny Hill is alive and well in Chiang Mai.

[stevenl]

17 hours ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

Your 18 years with only 2 stops only demonstrates that you have barely been anywhere in 18 years, travel through half the provinces of Thailand and you, like every single car, will get stopped.

Agree, but stopped on average once a day really is a lot.

[rwill]

In 5 years I have only been asked to stop once at a checkpoint.  Always waved through them, this is mostly in Ratchaburi.  The one time I was asked to stop I rolled down my window and the officer said O HO Falang!, stuck his hand in to shake hands and waved me on.

 

[watcharacters]

18 hours ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

Your 18 years with only 2 stops only demonstrates that you have barely been anywhere in 18 years, travel through half the provinces of Thailand and you, like every single car, will get stopped.

 

I'm assuming by stopped you mean bring the car to a full or nearly full stop and be waved on without showing any documents.

 

I've driven to lot's of places in Thailand and have yet to be asked  for a license,  or insurance paper.

 

[Billthekiwi]

Hi Grumpy...,

 

My experience has been very similar to yours and I have always found the policemen to be polite and friendly, especially when I show them my Thai licence.

 

I ride a larger motor scooter, very new with all the bases covered including my head. But not once has anyone asked for details about the bike.

 

My status immediately changes. The ones who can speak english suddenly want to know about me.

 

Friendly personal questions. We smile and joke. I have fun.

 

As they are getting to know me more and more they just smile and wave me on. They know that I am a good guy.

 

I have no complaints at all! I live in Khon Kaen.

[maybefitz]

I get stopped at our Tambon check point on the Phrao road frequently. The local bobby wants to exchange football remarks; he is a Chelsea fan & I am Liverpool. We both agree, with a thumbs down that Man U are 'kayaa' with hoots of laughter. Last week, with the world cup under way, I was waved through with a broad grin and 'Angkhrit pai dee'.

[CLW]

Thai police always friendly and professional.
Had to pay the one or other fine for doing u-turns or not using the right lane.
But I know I was in the wrong and they are just doing their job.
Also had a body search for drugs a few times when driving home in a taxi, mostly around Sukhumvit.
Everything fine as I don't have to hide anything.

The point is, the presence and work ethic of the police should be improved.
Like I said, when they are outside and doing their job it's professional.