No more Tea Money for the MIB ?

[Terry]

Saw this one in today's Bangkok Post

It raises deep concerns

If introduced all over Bangkok or even nationally - where will the tea money come from?


http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/transpo ... -offenders

City police will pilot a scheme giving out tickets to traffic law violators by using a mobile electronic device called the "e-ticket".

The pilot project will be conducted in certain areas of Bangkok, starting by the end of this month.The e-ticketing device can print a ticket on the spot so traffic police no longer have to write out the ticket themselves, said Pharnu Kerdlarpphon, the deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau supervising traffic.

The e-ticketing device will be linked to the Royal Thai Police's database.

All information on every ticket issued will be stored in the system where police stations can gain access to it.

Drivers who are given a ticket for breaking traffic rules will be able to get his or her ticket paid at any police station instead of having to travel to the specific police station that issued the ticket.

The place, date and time of the traffic law violation will appear on the new-look ticket.

For those drivers who hold an electronic driving licence, the police officer will swipe the card through the device. All the driver's information will appear on the device's screen.

For those who hold a conventional licence, the officer will key in the driver's ID number.

The e-ticketing device will allow officers to check with the police database to see if vehicles they have stopped have been reported as stolen or are carrying a fake licence plate. The computer returns the results in just half a minute.

The scheme will be piloted in the precincts of Wat Phraya Krai, Lumpini, Thong Lor, Tha Ruea, Thung Mahamek, Bang Phongphang, Phra Khanong, Bang Na, and Khlong Tan police stations.

The trial will be evaluated to decide if the ticketing device should replace manual ticketing in all areas of the capital.



Will just have to wait & see the outcome.

[Spitfire]

It might work in BBK or some larger cities but often these plans fail to make it out of the capital, for example, look at how long it's taking to get the new police uniform to be worn anywhere, that idea seems to have died a death. The Ministry of Lofty Ideas and Grand Plans could be involved with this one.

Regarding the tea money, probably be the same deal as it is now, which is you get the choice of paying 200 baht quickly with no ticket or get written a proper ticket and be fined 400 baht. Even if they bring this in, easy to circumnavigate it, especially outside the cities on the highways.

[hulltoon]

What difference will that make you, will still have to pay tea money.

[STEVE G]

I suppose it might make a difference in that many people pay to avoid a ticket purely to avoid the inconvenience of having to go to the Police station which can be a long way from where you get stopped.
Before they completed the Bangkok ring-road I used to get stopped on the elevated expressway and would have absolutely no idea how to get to the Police station where the guy came from, so would pay him off.

[HuntingTigers]

... Before they completed the Bangkok ring-road I used to get stopped on the elevated expressway and would have absolutely no idea how to get to the Police station where the guy came from, so would pay him off.

And the same will apply with the new ticketing system - you will be invited to 'surrender' 200 - 400 baht, depending on the nature of the alleged offence, before an e-ticket is issued which will negate the issue of the e-ticket. In other words - 'business as usual'.

[Johan]

They will stop you and ask you money, no tickets. If he don't push the button there is no ticket in the system.

[johnnyk]

If you choose not to "pay in advance" the BiB might perceive your offense to be even more serious (expensive) than first thought.

[Nereus]

I hope that it is ok to tag this on here, Terry.

Hit road hogs in the wallet:

http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opin ... the-wallet

There is a reason why there are so many red number plates visible on the road at present. The recovering economy, consumer confidence, new fuel-efficient models, promotional campaigns and sheer demand have pushed sales of new cars to the point where an average of 55,000 vehicles are being sold each month.

In June sales even hit a high of 70,557 units. The downside is the impact this boom in car ownership is having on streets that are already clogged _ because of years of traffic mismanagement, and transport initiatives that have been slow to get off the ground.

Worsening the traffic snarls has been an apparent decline in driver discipline and an increase in selfishness. An extreme example would be the small but increasing number of motorists who have brazenly taken to flashing their hazard lights, abruptly stopping and then going shopping, leaving their vehicle to block a whole busy lane and cause accidents. That is just one of the many violations of the traffic law that used to occur on public holidays but now happens regularly. And one that makes a strong case for buying more towaway trucks.

Now traffic police are striking back after first giving a month's notice that this time they mean business. Armed with new radar guns to check speed, breathalysers to test for alcohol and wheel clamps to immobilise illegally parked vehicles, they issued 211 citations payable by fines on Monday, the first day of the campaign. The most common offences earning tickets were red light violations, traffic blocking, overtaking in tight areas, one-way traffic offences, driving on pedestrian walkways and parking violations. At night there will be an emphasis on drink-driving, although this might be more effective if police varied the location of the checkpoints because word quickly gets around. And, to be fair, they should also include jaywalking and failure to stop at pedestrian crossings. Positive action such as properly synchronising traffic lights and introducing compulsory driver re-education courses for repeat offenders would be helpful.

The biggest question mark hanging over this welcome initiative is how long it will last. Officially it will be conducted permanently, especially during rush hours, in order to facilitate traffic flow and promote good driving behaviour. But this hasn't happened in the past. Special mobilisations of police for one particular task have been superseded by other needs and they have been redeployed. Over the past year, ministers have ordered special police crackdowns on pirated goods and software, illegal drugs and gambling, entertainment places staying open beyond permitted hours, rogue airport taxis, firearms and even, among others, misbehaving fitness clubs. None have been long-lasting.

Selective crackdowns based on a unique method of prioritisation fine-tuned by politicians and police have been practised for decades. It has made our police force a great believer in the power of targeted campaigns as a supplement to routine everyday law enforcement. They claim the policy of deploying a vast amount of manpower over a temporary period to combat a particular group of lawbreakers is necessary because of a shortage of officers and budgetary constraints. But others rightly dismiss such operations as more show than substance. People still need to be convinced that this traffic campaign will be truly permanent and not forgotten about after the routine 15 or 90 days.

If the penalties do not produce results, they should be strengthened, as has been done for drink-driving. It may be impossible to legally remove all the idiots from our roads within their limited lifetime, but that does not mean the police should not try.

[Spitfire]

Well, sounds like they may actually start doing their jobs for a change instead of loafing around. Wonder how long that'll last? Maybe they have a new national commander and he's laying it down. Thailand's traffic police contingent, in numbers of personnel, probably rivals that of most small countries armed forces, there's enough of them to invade a neighboring country. There certainly shouldn't be a problem on the roads.

[Terry]

My experience with the MIB - not only the traffic variety - is simply that if ANY work they do does not offer a source of regular Tea Money then you might as well forget an improvement in Law Enforcement.

Until they stamp out the level of corruption in the police force as a whole, things will never improve.

[usual suspect]

I dont know about the rest of Asia when it comes to 'patrolling' a section of highway/motorway..??
But here in Thailand its a case of 3 Police-cruisers leave their base,drive X amount of Kms, then park all 3 vehicles up, break out the cones, & start raking in the money..if you want a Toyota Camry with low milage..
..just look for ex-police cars..that have been used for 'night-patrol'.

[hhfarang]

if you want a Toyota Camry with low milage..

The one's I've seen have been Honda Accords...

[Rider]

I hope that it is ok to tag this on here, Terry.

Hit road hogs in the wallet:



Now traffic police are striking back after first giving a month's notice that this time they mean business. Armed with new radar guns to check speed, breathalysers to test for alcohol and wheel clamps to immobilise illegally parked vehicles, they issued 211 citations payable by fines on Monday, the first day of the campaign. The most common offences earning tickets were red light violations, traffic blocking, overtaking in tight areas, one-way traffic offences, driving on pedestrian walkways and parking violations. At night there will be an emphasis on drink-driving, although this might be more effective if police varied the location of the checkpoints because word quickly gets around. And, to be fair, they should also include jaywalking and failure to stop at pedestrian crossings. Positive action such as properly synchronising traffic lights and introducing compulsory driver re-education courses for repeat offenders would be helpful.

The biggest question mark hanging over this welcome initiative is how long it will last. Officially it will be conducted permanently, especially during rush hours, in order to facilitate traffic flow and promote good driving behaviour. But this hasn't happened in the past. Special mobilisations of police for one particular task have been superseded by other needs and they have been redeployed. Over the past year, ministers have ordered special police crackdowns on pirated goods and software, illegal drugs and gambling, entertainment places staying open beyond permitted hours, rogue airport taxis, firearms and even, among others, misbehaving fitness clubs. None have been long-lasting.

Selective crackdowns based on a unique method of prioritisation fine-tuned by politicians and police have been practised for decades. It has made our police force a great believer in the power of targeted campaigns as a supplement to routine everyday law enforcement. They claim the policy of deploying a vast amount of manpower over a temporary period to combat a particular group of lawbreakers is necessary because of a shortage of officers and budgetary constraints. But others rightly dismiss such operations as more show than substance. People still need to be convinced that this traffic campaign will be truly permanent and not forgotten about after the routine 15 or 90 days.

If the penalties do not produce results, they should be strengthened, as has been done for drink-driving. It may be impossible to legally remove all the idiots from our roads within their limited lifetime, but that does not mean the police should not try.

Sounds to me like the government is pushing Big Brother into Thailand step-by-step.

One of the reasons more than a few folk moved FROM Europe was to get away from the police state of back home.

Will be glad to see the back of these new pipe dreams in the next few months when they die a quiet death