Police committee members from
the high-ranking officers administration course visit Pattaya’s Command &
Control center.
Warunya Thongrod
High-ranking police officials quizzed Mayor Itthiphol
Kunplome on everything from traffic to jet ski scams as they study Pattaya
as part of a continuing-education course at the Royal Thai Police Academy.
The officers, who returned to school to take the
Principles of Public Administration course, stopped in Pattaya July 27 as
part of their nationwide tour to study administration of civil and
law-enforcement issues.
Itthiphol answered questions on traffic, parking, waste
disposal, marine pollution, and crimes against tourists.
The pollution issues, the mayor said, come from garbage
flowing into Pattaya Bay from the Bangpakong River, as well as algae blooms
that create “red tides.” While nothing can be done about the latter,
Itthiphol said, the garbage problem is constantly being examined.
More directly related to police work, crimes against
tourists encompass petty crimes, cheating businesses and jet ski scams.
The mayor admitted the city has been unable to control
the problem, but said he’s asked for cooperation from the jet ski vendors’
association in hopes they’ll negotiate a resolution.
Following the Q&A session, the officers visited the
city’s command and control room to observe operations, as well as a new
watchtower built to monitor traffic and crime.
Academy deputy director Col. Sommai Kanchanapha said the
course is aimed at improving the experiences of high-ranking officers and to
teach them lessons they can implement in their home postings. Pattaya, with
its large tourism industry, has been a beneficial example, he added.
