Hua Hin's Finest (police in Hua Hin)

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Re: Hua Hin's Finest (police in Hua Hin)

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Bluesky wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2017 10:27 pm
Nereus wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2017 5:05 pm
"You drive bad, where licence?" I said and pointed to the side of the road where I assume it was his boss standing, ''I will go over there so as not to block the road'', which I did. BIB that stopped me followed me and the same statement: "you drive bad". So what did I do? Looks at licence and comes out again with "you drive bad"! Hands back licence and wanders off!
It had nothing to do with the burnouts and doughnuts as you approached the traffic stop in a cloud of smoke? :laugh:
No, no, the smoking tyres and fishtailing came when I drove off!
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Re: Hua Hin's Finest (police in Hua Hin)

Post by migrant »

To paraphrase Hunter S Thompson, what you need to do when stopped by cops is to speed up to 100, then do a 360 slamming on the brakes, fishtailing gravel and dirt, to the side of the road. That will impress them with your driving ability and avoid a ticket. I have not tried this
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Re: Hua Hin's Finest (police in Hua Hin)

Post by Bluesky »

migrant wrote: Wed Oct 11, 2017 7:51 am To paraphrase Hunter S Thompson, what you need to do when stopped by cops is to speed up to 100, then do a 360 slamming on the brakes, fishtailing gravel and dirt, to the side of the road. That will impress them with your driving ability and avoid a ticket. I have not tried this
You've gotta love how he saw life. Ooop's off topic! Meant to be talking about the best Police money can buy!
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Re: Hua Hin's Finest (police in Hua Hin)

Post by Takiap »

Big Boy, I've said it before and I'll say it again, I actually like the police in Thailand. Yes, I'm sure there are many bad apples, but for the most part, I think they are very pleasant. As you have said, if you break the law and you get fined, then just accept it. Whether you see it as a fine, or whether you see it as a bribe, you have broken the law and you are going to have to part with some of your money either way.


From 1997 to now, I have been stopped three times for not wearing a helmet. On two of those occasions, I was let off with a warning and a smile, and on the other occasion, I paid a 200 baht fine.

I have been through countless roadblocks in Thailand over the years, in cars and on my bike, and I have never yet had a bad experience. My take on the police here in Thailand, is that most of them don't walk around with a chip on their shoulders. They act and behave just like ordinary everyday people, just going through the motions in order to get their salary at the end of the month.
They could legally be a damn side worse than what they are, but the vast majority are only too well aware of the realities faced by the average working class person.

I don't mean to offend anyone, but I am sure that many of those who complain about encounters with the police, only have reason to complain because of their own actions and/or attitude. If you get stopped, be nice; be friendly, and if you are in the wrong and you get a fine, take it on the chin and smile because it probably could have been a lot worse. If you open you car window and scowl at the copper, and you come across as being a grumpy bastard who thinks he's better than everyone else or better than a Thai, well then you are your own worse enemy.


Lastly, as has been mentioned, most of the police are constantly mingling in between us without us even knowing, so I think it is also wrong to judge the entire police force based only on the few which wear uniforms. Believe me, many Farang here have no idea of just how many plain clothed police there are, and there is no way to distinguish them. In my country, plain clothed policemen were so easy to recognize, but here it is virtually impossible, at least for us foreigners..

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Re: Hua Hin's Finest (police in Hua Hin)

Post by NOKYAI »

Sorry to be pedantic, but like most of us we have got used to seeing the payment as a fine. The minimum true fine for no helmet is B500 and both passengers are required to be wearing one. Anything else is a bribe and needs to be seen as one.
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Re: Hua Hin's Finest (police in Hua Hin)

Post by 404cameljockey »

BB I agree with you, HH police have never given me grief. Stopped at road blocks (once even at the railway station at 1.00 am, that was unexpected). Asked "been drinking?". You can say no and maybe get tested, or say nit noy, up to you. I'll admit to one beer and pay the bribe, it's cheaper than the fine and comes with a smile. He asks for 400 saying I'm hungry, I give 200, smiling and saying "I have mouths to feed too".

Parking on red/white zone, get a ticket from a cheerful cop. Go to the station to pay it, he says 400, I hand it over, he says 'no, 600', with a big grin. Actually only joking (also says he supports Leicester City so he has to have a good SOH).

Usually your own attitude towards the encounter goes a long way towards a good or bad outcome (Takiap already said it too).

TIT, get over it. Get a driving license, wear a helmet, don't drink and drive, have your tyres checked regularly. Etc.! :D

I have no problem with the informal system and believe that people who won't accept it with good grace should go live somewhere else.

And re plain clothes police, I'm in favour, good to give the drug-buying tourists pause for thought. Same in Dubai, a lot around and hard for foreigners to spot. Forget the occasional body turning up in an alley, these places would be a REAL wild west zone without proper policing.
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Re: Hua Hin's Finest (police in Hua Hin)

Post by caller »

I suspect it's the Thai's themselves away from the tourist zones who see the true colours of the Thai Police. There has to be a reason why reform of the Police is always high on the average Thais agenda, when polled.

Near where I used to live in Korat, the Police were forever stopping bikes and taking money off of them. It was so frequent, I'm amazed anyone still got caught! Then unannounced, a senior Police officer turned up and noted that all the Police on the bike stop had removed all personal identifiers. Also, that they allowed numerous misdemeanours to pass and only stopped those that could be quickly and easily removed of funds. That story made the Bangkok Post.

Another Thai I knew had to pay 200,000 baht to get an investigation of murder stopped where the suspect was her brother. Now, she states he was completely innocent and not even present at the murder scene - some dispute amongst thieves or whatever - and he was just being set up. The fact a payment was enough, say's all you need to know.
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Re: Hua Hin's Finest (police in Hua Hin)

Post by Big Boy »

My experience outside of Hua Hin has been less than pleasant, and I've been a victim many times, starting at Cha-Am. The craziest thing is, they are so convincing, you start doubting yourself, and thinking, did I? Fortunately, there has always been somebody else in the car with me when I've been scammed to confirm my sanity.

Never had anything like it in Hua Hin.
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Re: Hua Hin's Finest (police in Hua Hin)

Post by buksida »

Again, as a balance, my experience is the complete opposite. We actively avoid riding or driving through Hua Hin as a result.
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Re: Hua Hin's Finest (police in Hua Hin)

Post by Big Boy »

I know we've had this discussion before, and nobody is denying there are many police checks in Hua Hin. They are basically doing their job. There are a couple of semi-permanent checks between Pranburi and Prachuap also - do you avoid those, because that would be harder?

I'm not discussing police doing what they perceive to be their job (roadblocks), I'm talking about their actions when you are stopped. I've never had a Hua Hin police officer try to scam me.

On the other thread, which led to this one, I knew there was a high possibility that there would be a police check between Soi 94 and 102. My alternative route would have involved 2 u-turns. I considered it easier to go through the police check. If I'd been given that choice outside of Hua Hin, I'd have opted for the u-turns every time.
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Re: Hua Hin's Finest (police in Hua Hin)

Post by buksida »

My point is that there are five times more police and roadblocks in Hua Hin than elsewhere in Thailand, whether we are law abiding citizens or not, it makes sense to avoid them. The police are doing their job, but they will also jump at a chance to make a few extra baht any which way they can, I would rather not take that chance.
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Re: Hua Hin's Finest (police in Hua Hin)

Post by Big Boy »

Yes, of course they will. If you give them the opportunity, of course they will fine (or accept a bribe from) you. It's what police all over the world would do.

I've said it already, several times - I totally disagree with the philosophy of creating a roadblock and waiting for the crime to come to you. It's the way Thailand do their policing. However, in Hua Hin they have the decency to make most roadblocks in sight of a u-turn, giving offenders the opportunity to turn around, rather than be caught :D .
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Re: Hua Hin's Finest (police in Hua Hin)

Post by HHTel »

Just to underline, inside HH and outside. Earlier this year I drove to Laos and did some touring there. Passed through a road block around soi 10 then the next one was just before Petchaburi. The next one was in Laos when an eagle eyed copper noticed I wasn't wearing a seat belt and that wasn't a checkpoint, just a cop on patrol. Coming back, the first road block I came across was again on the Petchkasem road past the airport then again outside Salesian school.
The point I'm making is driving for hours over hundreds of kilometres and the only checkpoints were in Hua Hin.
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Re: Hua Hin's Finest (police in Hua Hin)

Post by Ralfredo »

Big Boy wrote: Wed Oct 11, 2017 12:17 pmIf you give them the opportunity, of course they will fine (or accept a bribe from) you. It's what police all over the world would do.
Police all over the world accepts bribes??? I think you would put yourself in a really bad situation if you tried to bribe a Swedish police officer. And I guess the same goes for most western European countries, the US and Australia for example.

Of course there are scum bags in every police force but I think the percentage that would accept a bribe in Sweden is close to infinitesimal.
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Re: Hua Hin's Finest (police in Hua Hin)

Post by STEVE G »

I had a local traffic cop around my house at a party last year and he was showing me his limited edition Colt handgun, I looked it up on the internet later and they cost 4,000 dollars in the States. It suggests to me that being a traffic policeman here is quite a lucrative business!
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