The police force is increasing the number of crowd control units because more, possibly prolonged demonstrations are expected, the police spokesman said on Tuesday.
Pol Lt Gen Archayon Kraithong said there had been a shortage of police at local stations because officers had been reassigned to control the large and frequent rallies over recent years. Recruiting to expand crowd control units would help overcome this.
"Under present circumstances, freedom of expression and demonstrations tends to grow, and rallies may be prolonged. This can cause personnel shortages at police stations and affect services provided by patrol police, detectives and traffic police," the spokesman said.
The expansion of crowd control police was planned nationwide, he said.
When crowd control operations were not needed, the extra personnel could be assigned to assist as required at local police stations, includingat public events and helping patrol crime-prone areas, Pol Lt Gen Archayon said.