The Police Commission on Wednesday approved the appointment of deputy national police chief Pol Gen Torsak Sukvimol as the new national police chief.
Torsak: Fourth in seniority
Pol Gen Torsak will succeed Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas, who retires on Sept 30.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin arrived at the Royal Thai Police (RTP) headquarters to chair the meeting of the commission to select the 14th police chief on Wednesday.
Mr Srettha reviewed an honour guard in the rain before entering the building.
The prime minister is the ex-officio chairman of the Police Commission under the Royal Thai Police Act.
Mr Srettha nominated Pol Gen Torsak for the top police job at the meeting and attendees selected Pol Gen Torsak by a vote of 10 to 1.
During the meeting, Pol Gen Torsak and Pol Gen Kitrat Phanphet, another contender for the police chief post, were asked to leave the meeting room temporarily so members of the Police Commission could consider their qualifications before the vote, sources said.
Previously, it was speculated the appointment might be withdrawn from the meeting agenda and deferred until October, along with the appointment of deputy national police chiefs and commanders.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin reviews a guard of honour at the Royal Thai Police (RTP) HQ where he chaired a meeting of the commission to select the 14th police chief yesterday. (Photo: Somchai Poomlard)
It was thought some members of the Police Commission were to propose that a problem involving a deputy national police chief, one of the four contenders, should be cleared up first.
This followed the search of houses occupied by deputy police chief Pol Gen Surachate "Big Joke" Hakparn, as part of a police probe into online gambling websites.
The raid on Pol Gen Surachate's rented houses in Bangkok on Monday morning was part of an operation codenamed "Big Cleaning Day", which targeted 30 houses in Bangkok and five provinces -- Phetchaburi, Samut Prakan, Khon Kaen, Udon Thani and Saraburi.
As the deputy national police chief in charge of crime suppression, Pol Gen Torsak will retire next year.
Pol Gen Surachate did not show up to welcome Mr Srettha at the RTP headquarters, according to sources.
The sources said Pol Gen Surachate previously applied for leave and reasoned that he could not attend the meeting because he was a stakeholder.
Pol Gen Torsak was fourth in seniority among the four job contenders.
The other candidates were Pol Gen Roy Ingkapairote, the most senior, Pol Gen Surachate, the second-most senior, and Pol Gen Kitrat, the third.
Pol Gen Torsak is a high-profile officer who rose to fame in the Crime Suppression Division (CSD).
Born in Phetchaburi in 1964, he obtained a bachelor's degree in political science from Thammasat University and started his career as an employee at Caltex Oil Thailand Co.
He then enrolled for a training course in law, political science and public administration, which entitled him to be appointed as a police officer.
He began his police career in 1997 as a deputy inspector at a radio patrol unit under the Patrol and Special Operations Division, known as the 191 Police.
He was later transferred to the CSD and then the Tourist Police Bureau before returning to the CSD.
He served as commander of the Police Royal Guards 904 Division before becoming a deputy chief and then chief of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB).