A police academy where humility is taught

A police academy where humility is taught

special report: Students see cops as law-enforcers while the military issues orders and uses force

Second year cadets walk in a line to their dormitory after finishing class. (Photos by Pornprom Satrabhaya)
Second year cadets walk in a line to their dormitory after finishing class. (Photos by Pornprom Satrabhaya)

Forget its old reputation of being a military-style training school, the 117-year-old Royal Police Cadet Academy (RPCA) has undergone a major overhaul and become an educational institution offering a standard dual undergraduate degree -- in policing, law and more.

Several changes have been made in recent years in an attempt to modernise the RPCA and transform it from a military-like police training school to a part-armed forces training academy and part-university, said Pol Lt Gen Piya Uthayo, commander of the RPCA who graduated with a doctoral degree in educational management and development.

The latest batch of RPCA graduates received dual degrees in policing and law, which are certified by the Education Ministry and are the same as that of normal universities, he said.

Aside from the four-year undergraduate programme, the RPCA has begun offering graduate programmes in three fields of studies -- forensic science, security protection and the police profession.

The RPCA also offers training courses to non-students such as court prosecutors, officials from the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), the Election Commission and Corrections Department.

"Although we've vastly scaled down our military-like training, discipline is still treated as a crucial element of the study programme. And since the work of the police deals more with civilians, human rights is incorporated into every course of studies here to foster respect for the rights of others," said Pol Lt Gen Piya.

This is a standard practice in international police schools, he said.

Students attend a class at the Royal Police Cadet Academy.

"Why are human rights so important? The answer is members of the public have the right to question the police's work," he said. "Of course, promoting respect for human rights does take time and we think four years in the RPCA should help it [the respect] takes shape."

In the shooting course, where students have to aim at humans if a critical situation arises, teachers always stress the importance of choosing a non-lethal target that will put him or her out of action rather than killing the person, he said.

Negotiation and communication skills, as well as psychology, are taught along with shooting skills, he said.

Pol Lt Gen Piya said the police are one of the most scrutinised professions in the country, unlike the police in the United States, Great Britain, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand and Germany which have won the trust of most people.

As a result, high standards of education for police are necessary.

At the RPCA, Pol Lt Gen Piya said teachers and students are encouraged to attain the same level of standards as those in medical schools.

"In the medical profession, they will have to win the trust of the public. Good interpersonal skills are needed," he said.

"Most importantly, every doctor is taught to treat his or her patients, rich or poor, equally. Police should stick to this same standard."

Four things which students at the academy have to bear in mind at all times are: professional standards, politeness, humility and gentleness, and equality.

It also has an outward-looking focus which includes working closely with other educators, and taking in students from overseas.

The RPCA has Vietnamese, Cambodian and Myanmar nationals studying alongside Thais, while it has sent a number of Thai students to attend training in China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Germany, Australia and Japan.

What's more, the RPCA has also signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with several international police academies, universities and other educational institutions as part of cooperation efforts, he said.

The collaboration has brought in vast knowledge to the RPCA, which in turn has greatly benefited Thailand's policing by keeping it abreast with new types of crime-fighting in cyberspace, he said.

"From an academic-based programme, with about 40% of studies conducted in the classroom, it has become more practical with work done mostly outside the classroom," he said.

Sometimes, students carry out joint projects with other institutions. Other times they take part in activities conducted jointly with international embassies in Thailand, said the commander. "One thing I hope to see from the RPCA's reform is more love and passion (among prospective RPCA students) to become police," Pol Lt Gen Piya said.

Chonnikan Khongsema, 21, a second-year student at the RPCA, said she grew interested in becoming a police officer after growing up in a community plagued with problems of drugs and violence.

Suraphong Rattanawongsawat, 23, a fourth-year student at the RPCA, said the RPCA has changed dramatically, and the country would soon see a new generation of police officers, far different from their military counterparts. In his opinion, the military gives orders and uses force, while the police stick to law enforcement.

Thiranat Limsirikul, 21, a fourth-year RPCA student, said she is determined to correct the public's negative perception about the police profession, by becoming an ideal officer.

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