The seizure of 382 guns, 100 bombs and a huge haul of illicit drugs in Central region provinces surrounding Bangkok during a week-long crime suppression drive has shocked police.
Police said they had sharpened their focus on ways to tackle illegal weapons in particular, which they say are fuelling a surge of crimes in the area that could also spill over into the capital.
Police said violent crimes were frequent, especially in Samut Prakan and Ayutthaya, two of the nine central provinces where police launched their seven-day operation to crack down on crime from Oct 6 to Oct 12.
The large number of firearms was fuelling the crimes which often involve youngsters, teen gangs and drugs.
Provincial Police Region 1 chief Chaiwat Ketworachai, who led the operation, said he could not believe police were able to uncover so many weapons, and in an area so close to Bangkok.
"Weapons can fuel other crimes," he said. "That's why we need an urgent change to our crime prevention approach."
The 382 guns, mostly unregistered, were confiscated when officers from the Provincial Police Region 1 raided target areas under their supervision in Samut Prakan, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Ayutthaya, Ang Thong, Saraburi, Singburi, Lop Buri and Chai Nat provinces.
They also seized more than 2,000 rounds of ammunition and 100 bombs, along with illegal drugs including 200,000 speed pills and more than 3,000 grammes of crystal methamphetamine, the officers said.
In more good news for their anti-crime sweep, police also arrested 264 suspects who were accused of being involved in a range of crimes from robberies to murder.
The most recent high-profile crime occurred in Pathum Thani in May this year when a football player of Rangsit University was shot dead by attackers who allegedly mistook him for a man they had a brawl with.
"Murders and other assaults frequently occur because offenders, mostly teenagers, carry guns in public," Pol Lt Gen Chaiwat said.
One case that involved the weapons was in Samut Prakan's Muang district where a 19-year-old man was wounded by a group of young robbers on Oct 11.
The attack happened in the early hours as Warawut Thammasawat was walking along Soi Witthayu Kanbin in tambon Bang Pu.
He was surrounded by five teenagers riding three motorcycles.
The group demanded money and when Mr Warawut said that he did not have any, one pulled out a knife and slashed his arm.
They made off with 60 baht, police said.
Police arrested the gang the same day.
Checking the suspects' criminal records, the officers found they had been involved in a similar robbery in front of Samut Prakan Technical College.
Local villagers also complained the gang was so aggressive they extorted money from foreign workers in the province.
The suspects were accused of threatening to injure the victims and then taking their money or property, police said.
Other cases have also caused grave concerns in Samut Prakan.
Another gang of motorcycle riders robbed people of their mobile phones, golden necklaces and Buddhist amulets, police said.
The officers eventually arrested five young suspects, three males and two females, after a raid on their hideout in Chachoengsao.
An investigation into the suspects' behaviour found they used motorcycles to snatch assets from pedestrians.
Their targets were mostly women who wore necklaces and carried bags.
The stolen valuables were later sold at gold and mobile phone shops in Chachoengsao, the officers said.
Other robberies also occurred in Ayutthaya, which has more than 2,000 factories, and is a transit point of drugs destined for Bangkok, Pol Lt Gen Chaiwat said.
There are a large number of vocational students in this province.
In some cases, they were also believed to use guns to threaten victims, Pol Lt Gen Chaiwat said.
Contact Crime Track: crimetrack@bangkokpost.co.th