National police chief Torsak Sukvimol has ordered a fact-finding probe into a video depicting a Chinese tourist wearing the upper part of a police uniform while a person resembling a genuine police officer stood by to open a car door for him.
Police spokesman Pol Lt Gen Achayon Kraithong said on Tuesday the inquiry will look into the origin of the video, the context in which it was recorded and the individuals wearing the police uniform.
Asked if the foreign tourist would be clled in for an interview, he said the findings were expected soon, and once the facts were established further action would be considered.
“Let’s wait for the fact-finding probe before we decide if there is a breach of the law or regulations. The police chief has ordered an inquiry into the clip,” he said.
Asked about the potential impact of the shared video on the image of Thai police, he urged tourists to avoid wearing official uniforms or requesting police to drive for them. They could be breaking the law, he said.
He also said police should exercise utmost caution when approached by tourists seeking to use their location, equipment or uniforms for content creation.
Pol Maj Gen Somporn Sajjapoj, deputy commander of the Police Education Bureau, said the initial investigation found that the person in the video was a police officer attached to Central Police Tactical Training.
During questioning, the officer admitted that he and his Chinese tourist friend were the people in the video. The officer said his friend took his police uniform inside his car to wear, he said.
The video in question was shared by a person using the name Luijeen on Facebook, who also posted several still photos of a Chinese tourist wearing the top of a police uniform with name badge, rank insignia and decorations.
Luijeen, with 1.4 million followers, asked whether this behaviour was appropriate and mentioned the controversy early this year involving a Chinese tourist receiving an unauthorised VVIP service from police.
Four policemen were investigated after the Chinese tourist posted several videos on Chinese social media platform in which she claimed to have been escorted quickly through immigration and offered a police motorcycle escort to her hotel in Pattaya.