Political interference in police reshuffles, particularly regarding important positions, has been the norm practised by every ruling political party for decades. In other words, police have always been a political tool of the government.
The most controversial political meddling in police promotions was exemplified in the case of Pol Lt Gen Kamronwit Thoopkrachang, the former metropolitan police commissioner, who proudly hung a photo on the wall of his office which showed fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra pinning a police insignia on his shirt together with his famous quote which reads: “[I] have what I have today because brother [Thaksin] gave it to me!”
Political interference in police appointments during the Pheu Thai-led government was so widespread that one red shirt in Udon Thani was touted as being more influential than even the provincial governor because of his direct access to the "boss". Many police officers who wanted to be promoted would march to see him to get his blessings.
The National Council for Peace and Order’s three announcements issued on Monday night primarily aim at eliminating political interference in police promotions and ensuring fairness for police officers.
For instance, the new national police chief will be nominated by the incumbent instead of the prime minister as was the case in the past. The restructuring of the Police Commission, which removes the interior and justice ministers from any role in police appointments, will give more say to the police bureaucracy in reshuffles.
Good intentions aside, the junta’s move appears to attach more importance to seniority as the benchmark criterion in determining promotions instead of performance or merit. Capable police officers might be discouraged by this change.
Also, the unprecedented inclusion of the defence permanent secretary as a member of the Police Commission should be reconsidered, as it may cause resentment among police officers who feel they are not accorded proper respect by the army despite the fact they were all classmates at the same institution.
Revamping the police promotion process represents just one aspect of many other problems besetting the police force. Widespread corruption, abuse of power, patronage and nepotism need to be addressed as top priorities by the still-to-be-established National Reform Council, if not by the junta itself.
Several recommendations have been made about how the police force should be reformed to restore public trust and confidence. One of the recommendations is to decentralise the police administration.
At present, it is too heavily centralised to the extent that it resembles an army of more than 230,000 men and women in service under the command of a supreme leader — that is the national police chief.
It is an open fact the police have been held in deep public mistrust and officers themselves have to bear the blame for their poor image.
The involvement of rogue police in several unresolved high-profile crime cases, and the inexplicable reluctance to clear the air about those cases, stands as undisputed testimony to the dark side of the police force.
The case of the Saudi royal family’s missing blue diamond and the enforced disappearance of Saudi businessman Mohammed al-Ruwaili and Muslim lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit are just a few glaring examples of the blight that has tarnished the reputation and image of the national police force.
The police force is badly in need of reform. The police themselves must accept that they have to reform if they expect to earn public trust and confidence. It is an uphill task but it must start sooner rather than later.