A "new kind'' of drink-driving checkpoint was trialed in front Thong Lor police station on Sukhumvit Soi 55 on Wednesday night, as police confirmed their move towards transparency in the testing.
The new national police chief Pol Gen Suwat Jangyodsuk recently ordered the suspension of random drink-driving checkpoints, to help reduce corruption related to bribes and extortion, and also better manage manpower and improve transparency.
The checkpoint in front of Thong Lor station was a large one -- 20 metres long, staffed by 12 police officers. There was a lit sign alerting motorists to a checkpoint 150 metres ahead, sectioned off by traffic cones and surrounded by four CCTV cameras, deputy national police chief Pol Gen Manu Mekmok said.
Medium-sized checkpoints will call for nine police officers while small checkpoints will be staffed by seven officers, he said, adding that all checkpoints will have CCTV cameras to ensure transparency.
He added that camera footage can go back three days, should motorists want to look at old footage, adding that motorists can use their mobile phones to record police searching their vehicles. If motorists feel they are unfairly treated, they can lodge a complaint by calling the hotline number 1559, Pol Gen Manu said.
Officers at the checkpoint must wear badges showing their ranks and names, and they must be polite when explaining to people if and how they broke the law, he said.
Police roll out a new checkpoint in Thong Lor under the new national police chief's policy to ensure transparency and reduce bribes and extortion.