The Crime Suppression Division (CSD)'s special operations or commando unit, now armed with a 2018 budget of 200 million baht, will be equipped with modern weapons equivalent to those used by police in the United States and European countries to better cope with crimes and terrorism, said unit commander Pol Col Torsak Sukwimol.
Pol Col Torsak said that last year the commando unit was allocated a budget of about 40 million baht to acquire weapons and other equipment, including vehicles, via the Royal Thai Police (RTP)'s Quartermaster Division.
Over the past year, he said, the unit has successfully carried out operations that ranged from house searches and drug suppression to the arrest of gunmen protected by influential politicians at both local and national levels. Many arrests were made and weapons seized, he said.
From January 2018, the commando unit is to undergo various field training courses to gain more knowledge about hostage rescue and counter-terror operations, as well as self-defence and protection of teammates in action.
The RTP will this year provide the commando unit with 200 million baht to buy modern weapons equivalent to those used by police and special operation units of the US and European countries, he continued, to help it cope with violent crimes and a world plagued by terrorism. The acquisition will be made through the RTP's Quartermaster Division.
In another development, the 18 million-baht modernisation of Wangkanon shooting range, closed since April last year, is nearly complete. The shooting range will be reopened in a ceremony attended by Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda, the police chief, and Pol Lt Gen Thitirat Nonghanpithak, the Central Investigation Bureau commissioner, on Jan 7.
The new facility has 32 shooting galleries and two special galleries for high-performance weapons used against major criminals and terrorists. The two special galleries are shielded with custom-built thick steel covers reinforced by concrete slabs and auto tyres, and are designed to minimise noise and safety concerns, Pol Col Torsak said.
The new shooting range will not only provide police with tactical weapon training, said CSD commander Pol Maj Gen Maitree Chimcherd, but will also allow outsiders to practise shooting and the use of weapons in self-defence. He added that the commando unit has also been provided with high-performance patrol cars for providing security to members of the royal family.
He said the CSD will next year continue its hunt for serious criminals, drug lords and 'dark influences'.