A police reform committee is calling for the national police chief's power to be devolved and a promotion system based on merit to ensure a more efficient police command structure.
Panel spokesman Somkid Lertpaitoon said there seems to be a consensus that regional bureau chiefs should have a say in management, including human resources and budget spending.
"The committee members discussed the reshuffling of thousands of officers and believe it should not be decided by one man. Such power should be delegated to the regional bureaus," he said.
There are more than 200,000 police officers nationwide whose transfers and promotions are decided on by the national police chief. He said devolving the police chief's responsibilities has been proposed by a subcommittee responsible for the structure of the police force.
"The police chief is responsible for the police reshuffle, not just in Bangkok but across the country. The subcommittee proposes that chiefs of regional police bureaus should have a say in the matter," he said.
The sub-panel headed by Manut Wattanakomen also suggested the Royal Thai Police (RTP) remain under the supervision of the prime minister to minimise political interference, said Mr Somkid.
The devolvement of power is also in line with a proposal floated by another subcommittee on personnel management that wants regional bureau chiefs to directly supervise their personnel and limit the national police chief's authority over his deputies, inspector-generals, and police commissioners.
The subcommittee on personnel management also proposes that the appointment of the national police chief, deputies, and regional bureau chiefs be based on a merit system and seniority.
However, contribution to the force will be given more weight than seniority, with a proposed ratio of 67:33, according to Mr Somkid. On appointing the police chief, he said the proposal that the decision should rest entirely with the Police Commission is favourable.
Under the current system, the outgoing national police chief nominates his successor and forwards the nomination to the RTP board for approval.
However, the practice has been branded as political interference as the RTP board is largely made up of politicians, as well as chaired by the prime minister.
Mr Somkid said the police reform committee, headed by former supreme commander Boonsrang Niumpradit, is expected to finalise the proposals next week.