Neglect of duty on the part of officials is a major cause of inefficiency in law enforcement, according to findings of an opinion survey conducted by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University's Suan Dusit Poll.
The poll, conducted from Jan 26 to Feb 3, took opinions from 542 people in Bangkok and nearby provinces on law enforcement in Thailand.
It was commissioned by the Office of Justice Affairs, which sought public input on ways of improving the justice process and law enforcement.
Asked what are the main causes of inefficiency in law enforcement, the respondents pointed to neglect of duty on the part of law enforcement officials (85.92%); the people's lack of confidence in the law (80.86%); loopholes in the law (79.81%); people's lack of understanding of legal issues (77.78%); and abuse of power and discrimination on the part of state officials (74.30%).
To the question which social problems should be most urgently solved by the state, the respondents mentioned problems involving drugs (83.17%); bodily assault, rape and sexual harassment (82.12%); labour abuse and human trafficking (76.17%); theft and trespass on private property; and, traffic law violations and drink-driving (70.21%).
Asked about their satisfaction with services provided by justice-related officials, the respondents were most satisfied with the court officials (77.57%), followed by prosecutors (73.05%), lawyers (71.10%), Corrections Department officials (70.71%); and then police (66.40%).