Online scams are among the key types of crime police will focus on this year while criminal databases are crucially important as a key tool to crack down on con artists.
Last year fraudsters came knocking, calling and emailing unsolicited get-rich plans that ranged from ponzi scams to money laundering. Complaints show the fraud affected thousands of people, who lost literally billions of baht.
"We're paying close attention to fraudulent activities because they ruin people's lives. A retiree lost their retirement savings. A middle-aged vegetable vendor lost her earned cash," said Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) chief Thitirat Nongharnpitak. "We have to figure out how to make people stop falling victim to these crimes."
Pol Maj Gen Itthipol Atchariyapradit, commander of the Investigation Division at the Metropolitan Police Bureau, agrees with the CIB, saying fraud will be on everyone's radars in the year ahead, especially online fraud. He said online scams pose serious threats to the public because they are difficult to prevent and the police force lacks computer experts to fight cyber crime.
"A lot of people fall prey to scams without suspecting anything. This sort of crime will continue this year," he said.
The commander also said while police investigators spend valuable resources in attempts to bring these people to justice, the penalties for this type of crime are deemed "small" and many wrongdoers often go back to this type of crime after doing their time. "In some cases some people just take over [after the suspects are arrested]," he said.
According to the CIB and the MPB, traditional violent crimes such as contract killings are likely to decrease especially in large cities but transnational crimes remain a threat.
Pol Lt Gen Thitirat said few murder cases in recent years are related to known "gunmen for hire" and the suspects arrested in those cases have no prior records.
in the digital era, police databases are crucial tools for tackling crime, he said. The CIB had started cataloguing various types of scams and the database will be the agency's key tool in bringing down criminal networks.
The agency would continue its initiative of developing and maintaining a database for each type of crime including sex crimes, burglaries and bank robberies. Known as a "toolbox", the database lists behaviour patterns and possible target areas and helps police detect connections between similar cases more clearly which can lead them to identify possible suspects.
He said the database helps local police step up surveillance and better protect the people.
Local authorities will get alerts if suspected criminals turn up in their neighbourhood. Tip-offs help local authorities take precautions against illegal activities, and this is where the CIB steps in.
"Many ex-convicts may choose to live in another province after serving their sentences and some are likely to go back to crimes. Local police have no idea about these people. Using the 'toolbox' to prevent crime can help here. Normally criminals don't break off and do something new.
"Those who rob banks will pick banks for their next job. They just move around from one area to another to avoid getting caught," he said.
For transnational crimes, the CIB chief said the Immigration Bureau and Tourism Police Bureau will need to strengthen their efforts. Common foreign criminal activity involves romance scams and call centre fraud.
Pol Maj Gen Itthipol stressed the need to introduce a biometric system which includes fingerprints and face recognition for screening people entering the country. With criminals resorting to fake passports, the existing screening system cannot keep up.
The country requires a better tool such as electronic fingerprint readers to identify individuals, he said. He also attributed a drop in violent crimes to improved surveillance technology. Security cameras are installed throughout Bangkok and urban areas in the provinces. "Street crimes such as the common snatch-and-run or stealing values from continue but they are expected to drop," he said.