As the political hype kicks in ahead of a election expected in four months' time, the new chief of the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) has made it clear that his agency is politically neutral and vowed to rail against anyone resorting to violence prior to the poll.
Pol Col Jirabhop Bhuridej became the CSD commander at the beginning of this month. The 42-year-old officer is the youngest chief in the CSD's 70-year history, which has seen 36 people occupy the top post.
The agency is responsible for criminal investigations as it is known as the "detective agency", yet during elections, police investigators also have to take care of cases involving politics.
InquiryLines, published bi-weekly on Mondays is a Bangkok Post column to present in-depth details of a range of issues from politics and social interest to eye-catching everyday lives.
Political campaigns in Thailand can be boisterous and deadly. Violent attacks and even killings are not uncommon in rural election campaigns where local mafia reign and even sometimes serve as canvassers.
"It is not a big deal for me to became the chief of the CSD in the run-up to the general election because the CSD is not politically partisan," Pol Col Jiraphob told the Bangkok Post in an interview.
With the election due early next year, the CSD has begun its preparations since "there is a chance that many things could happen," he said.
Pol Col Jirabhop said the CSD will look through police complaints about threats in relation to politics and also find ways to prevent crimes and deal with those accused of crimes straightaway.
"In areas where influential figures are present, we already have some information about which camps potential hitmen may belong to," he said.
Pol Col Jirabhop swiftly rose through the ranks at the CSD and says he is not worried about having subordinates who are older than him.
"My work philosophy is about being straightforward. So I never worry about working with someone older nor being intimidated by someone with strong backup. I will not take sides and I won't kowtow to anyone. There will be no jockeying for positions in the CSD," he insisted.
In his first month as commander, Pol Col Jiraphob is busy recruiting new detective personnel. He says he is determined to bring "young blood" into the CSD.
He has been accused by the old guards of taking sides -- an accusation that Pol Col Jiraphob vehemently denies.
"My recruitment is not based on favouritism. There are plenty of new detectives whom I never knew personally. I simply look for three qualities in them: efficiency, hardworking and decency."
The new CSD commander said that when he has decided who he wants on his team, their appointments will be made in the reshuffle of police positions ranging from inspectors to deputy commanders late this year.
Under his leadership, Pol Col Jiraphob said the CSD will focus on major cases, particularly gruesome crimes or those affecting the public.
"We will focus on immediacy. When there are crimes, CSD investigators will be deployed to the crime scenes right away."
The young commander is not just bragging. Last week, the CSD helped a local province arrest an elusive hitman, the former police officer Pansak Mongkolsin, who was accused of being hired to kill several people in the past.
Pansak was believed to have been involved in many notorious cases, including the murder of Darawadee Srithanakhan, the wife of a gem trader, and her son, Seri, in 1994.
More recently, the suspect has been accused of fatally shooting Pracha Worathat, the 52-year-old owner of a petrol station in Sa Kaeo's Muang district on Sept 30. His wife, Parida, was also shot and wounded during the incident.
Sa Kaew police issued a warrant for the arrest of Pansak but Pol Col Jirabhop was said to have been the one to select experienced officers with the skills to hunt him down.
The 62-year-old hitman was arrested by CSD police while holed up at a resort in Rayong on Friday in a swift and bloodless operation headed by the new chief.
Pol Col Jirabhop has vowed that the CSD will continue to clamp down on gangs that swindle money from people across the country.
The CSD will also target cases involving influential figures, such as those who are threatening local villagers, he said.
Pol Col Jirabhop, a Bangkok native, was born into a family of navy officers and his parents wanted him to follow his father's footsteps and join the forces.
As a boy, he dreamed of becoming an F-16 fighter pilot, but eventually left that aspiration behind when he realised that despite years of study there would still be no guarantee that he would eventually be chosen to serve as a pilot.
He then decided to join the police instead, becoming a member of the Royal Police Cadet Academy's Class 50.
His first official role was at the Counter Corruption Division before taking a break to study computer information management at Central Michigan University in the United States for two years.
After that, he returned to the Royal Thai Police (RTP) where he was assigned to work at the CSD's subdivision 1, where he made his mark.
During his stint there, he played a major role in rescuing a kidnapped Chinese woman and apprehending two of her captors.
He is renowned as a skilled detective who is well-versed in using modern technology and methods to trace and apprehend criminals.
He was then promoted to inspector at Tourist Police Division's Subdivision 5, where his willingness to share his investigation skills was appreciated by his fellow officers.
He was moved to Marine Police Division's Subdivision 4 before being made a superintendent of the Tourist Police Division's Subdivision 5 a year later.
He then became the superintendent of the CSD's Subdivision 1, a highly coveted role among detective officers.
It wasn't long before he was promoted to deputy commander, a position he held for little over a year, before being picked for the division's top post.
Officially, those who are made commander are obliged to have served as deputy for at least four years. But the Police Commission was happy to suspend these criteria in order to promote a man they considered by far the most qualified for the role.