Eleven top Nakhon Pathom police officers - including a brother of the national police chief - have been transferred to inactive posts following a string of crimes in the Central region.
Pol Gen Somyot Pumpunmuang signed the order to move the officers to the Royal Thai Police Office's operations centre Sunday. The order stated that the transfer was the aftermath of several violent incidents in Nakhon Pathom province, particularly on May 10 and May 19. They were to report to the centre by 1pm today.
Speaking to a press conference at the RTPO on Monday, Pol Gen Somyot explained that the 11 had been transferred because of rampant crime in areas under the jurisdiction of the Region 7 Provincial Police Bureau, particularly in Nakhon Pathom and nearby provinces. He also noted that arrests in those crimes had been made by administrative officials from outside the area.
That indicated police were both lax and tardy, he added.
Among those transferred was Pol Col Pumin Pumpanmuang, Pol Gen Somyot's younger brother and commander of Crime Suppression Sub-Division 5.
"He cannot be spared because his family name is Pumpunmuang," the police chief said.
Under the order, Pol Gen Chakthip Chaichinda, a deputy police chief for security affairs and chief investigator in several important criminal cases, was assigned to investigate crimes that have been left unresolved.
The crime wave that cost the officers their posts included several high-profile cases, including one in which members of a motorcycle gang shot dead a teenage boy in front of his mother at a noodle shop, Pol Gen Somyot said.
"No arrests were made after the incident. I had to send my own team of investigators to resolve the case and arrest the culprits," he said.
"Last week, an officer of the Special Branch Sub-division 3 was killed and many other people wounded in a shooting incident in Nakhon Pathom. The case was of much interest to the public," he added.
The police chief said he had obtained information on the case from people in the area via both telephone and social media, suggesting that the killing was related to gambling.
"I have told Pol Lt Gen Veerapong Chuenpakdi, the Region 7 Provincial Police chief, and the Nakhon Pathom police superintendent that there were many casinos operating illegally in Kanchanaburi, Suphan Buri, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Phetchaburi and Nakhon Pathom, but no action was taken, leading to that tragic incident," he said.
Pol Gen Somyot said although a suspect had surrendered and confessed to police, he did not believe the man was the real culprit. The police chief, therefore, sent a special team to investigate the case.
Pol Gen Somyot said he had also ordered all high-level officers at the Region 7 Provincial Police Bureau to meet him on Monday for more questioning.
The 11 officers moved to the RTPO under Pol Gen Somyot's order are:
- Pol Maj Gen Pote Boonmapak, the Nakhon Pathom police superintendent
- Pol Maj Gen Prapakorn Riewthong, chief investigator of Region 7 Provincial Police
- Pol Col Pumin Pumpanmuang, commander of Crime Suppression Sub-division 5
- Pol Col Rattana Palchan, Nakhon Pathom deputy police superintendent
- Pol Col Paithoon Pithaktham, chief of Muang district police
- Pol Col Udom Piamsak, chief investigator of Nakhon Pathom police
- Pol Lt Col Suthee Wannasut, deputy crime suppression chief of Muang district police
- Pol Lt Col Puwadit Kongphet, deputy investigation chief of Muang district police
- Pol Lt Col Karupong Kaewsa-ard, crime suppression chief of Muang district police
- Pol Lt Col Panuthat Luangsajjakul, an investigator of Muang district police
- Pol Maj Gen Tawipong Pongsungnoen, commander of the Special Branch Sub-division 3