The main duty and responsibility of the police is to enforce the law to ensure public peace and order. Hence, they were once called "phu pitak santiras" which literally means the protector of public peace. Somehow, this calling has faded from the memory of most of us and they are simply called "tamruat" in Thai these days, probably because most no longer hold to the belief they are peace officers.
The photo of Thaksin pinning a star on Pol Lt-Gen Kamronwit's shoulder is hung on the wall at his office.
Clearly, Pol Lt-Gen Kamronwit Toopkrachang, the recently appointed commissioner of metropolitan police, believes that police should also occasionally flex their muscle and give their superior moral support if and whenever he or she wants it.
So when the legal team of the opposition Democrat Party threatened to petition the national police chief, Pol Gen Priewpan Damapong, to set up a committee to investigate him for allowing a fugitive, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, to pin an additional star on his shoulder to symbolise his promotion, Pol Lt-Col Kamronwit declared that he would personally explain things to Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva at the party's head office on Tuesday.
He also called on his subordinates at the Metropolitan Police Bureau to converge at the party's headquarters in a show of moral support.
But about 100 supporters of the Democrat Party also gathered at its head office on Tuesday in a show of moral support for Mr Abhisit. They booed and jeered whenever a police vehicle went by. Some red-shirts also showed up, and they were booed as well.
Dozens of policemen were deployed in front of the party's offices, ostensibly to ensure peace and order. It was reported that many more police were heading to the scene to join their superior. However Pol Lt-Gen Kamronwit suddenly cancelled his visit.
From Korn's Facebook page
Meanwhile, Democrat deputy leader Korn Chatikavanij had posted a photograph on his Facebook page showing a group of policemen riding on a truck believed to be heading for the party's head office.
The former finance minister also wrote, "Today, Bangkokians must take care of themselves. Police were mobilised to put pressure on us at the Democrat Party. They [the police] have become a political force. Instead of doing their job of looking after the people, they are intimidating their superior's opponents."
Thanks to the show of commonsense on the part of Pol Lt-Gen Kamronwit, or whoever, a possible confrontation between the police and the Democrat supporters was averted. It would have severely tarnished the image of the police force, and especially the metroplitan police commander's image.
Of course, police, as individuals, have the right to demonstrate in public, but not in full uniform and during their working hours.
The appropriate way for the commissioner to handle this issue is to meet in private with Mr Abhsit, if he still wishes to see him, or to clarify things to an inquiry panel, if one is actually set up as the Democrats demanded. Calling on his men to to flex their muscle in public is totally inappropriate and unbecoming of a senior police officer.