I agree that most ,not all,policeman I have known in my life have big egos and like the power involved in being a cop!
As far as falang police volunteers are concerned,I think I would like to have one around if I was in a jam,but I don't know for sure as I have not met any on the job.As long as they are not abusing the position and power,if any,I think they might be helpful!
I think there was one,that has since moved and I didn;t like him personally.I don't know what his reason was for being one as he seemed only interested in himself!
But I would think that if I was a retired cop with to much time on my hands,I would consider volunteering just to have something to do!
Farang Policeman
England has voluntary police - they are called "Specials" & participate in "crowd control functions" and the like at public functions. Sadly from the ones I have met they do seem to have the worse traits that Saint mentions. 
I only know one person who had voluntered for this in Udon (I am not sure if he is still doing it though) & he certainly did not fit the power crazed description - far from it. Like Falang in Udon in general I guess Falang police volunteers will be a mixed bunch of individuals some of whom you would be happy to meet & some fortunate to avoid...
I only know one person who had voluntered for this in Udon (I am not sure if he is still doing it though) & he certainly did not fit the power crazed description - far from it. Like Falang in Udon in general I guess Falang police volunteers will be a mixed bunch of individuals some of whom you would be happy to meet & some fortunate to avoid...
there a big difference between cops & firemen cops are glad to retire firemen miss the excitement
I can not speak for the cops in other countries but in N.Y they are happy to retire and do not want to volunteer for that job ever again and we do have auxiliary police force who on special occasion
are required to be on duty armed but mostly carry a night stick and mace and are used for crowd control and traffic control when we have a big fire and traffic must be rerouted / in Arizona they ride with a Police officer some times at early evening but I can not testify if they are armed
I can not speak for the cops in other countries but in N.Y they are happy to retire and do not want to volunteer for that job ever again and we do have auxiliary police force who on special occasion
are required to be on duty armed but mostly carry a night stick and mace and are used for crowd control and traffic control when we have a big fire and traffic must be rerouted / in Arizona they ride with a Police officer some times at early evening but I can not testify if they are armed
Absolutly incorrect many countries including the UK have volunteer police, and the same thing but with different names I am sure exist in other countries.
Police power hungry well maybe some are, but many used to do the task that no-one else wants to do. Governments are now making what was a vocation just a job, that is a retrograde step in my book.
Historically police were employed to keep the peace, while the rest of the population slept, police did the job , it has evolved into a public service that never sleeps, and although may have people that do have their own agendas, they do in fact ,in the main do a good job.
Many of us including me can tell stories about bad attitudes, bad police or even bad experiences personal or otherwise, but the one point I will make is how many talkj about the good things that police do. Not many.
No matter how you view it, there is need for police, good or bad they are here to stay, volunteers, do try to put their life expereinces into some of these agencies and try to make foreigners know that they are there for them.
As for geing sued, as any actions volunteers do is under the auspices of the host countries police force, then volunteers actions will be justified, but I have been assured that at least in Thailand volunteers will not / no should not get involved in physical contact only verbal.
Police power hungry well maybe some are, but many used to do the task that no-one else wants to do. Governments are now making what was a vocation just a job, that is a retrograde step in my book.
Historically police were employed to keep the peace, while the rest of the population slept, police did the job , it has evolved into a public service that never sleeps, and although may have people that do have their own agendas, they do in fact ,in the main do a good job.
Many of us including me can tell stories about bad attitudes, bad police or even bad experiences personal or otherwise, but the one point I will make is how many talkj about the good things that police do. Not many.
No matter how you view it, there is need for police, good or bad they are here to stay, volunteers, do try to put their life expereinces into some of these agencies and try to make foreigners know that they are there for them.
As for geing sued, as any actions volunteers do is under the auspices of the host countries police force, then volunteers actions will be justified, but I have been assured that at least in Thailand volunteers will not / no should not get involved in physical contact only verbal.
Guns
They have no legal powers as such and are told to keep out of the more serious incidents - which is why they are paired up with an armed officer when walking around. Not I might add, looking for trouble, back-handers, free drinks etc, but with the agenda of chatting to the people - businesses and the general public and making them feel approachable and indeed when walking around people do walk up and ask about this that and the other.
The farang is there as a middle man as many foreigners welcome the opportunity to ask or explain something to another westerner.
As the post above said - how come nobody mentions the good things they do such as attending events, helping the poor, visiting those in prison and hospitals, sorting out domestic squables, giving advice to desperate people who don't know who else to turn to?
Take a look at the figures of the numbers of the people that the Toursit police have helped - or better still the volunteers have helped. You will see that those who want them and use them far outweigh the numbers who don't want them or despise them. Otherwise the scheme would have been stopped by now.
Even if the figure for those helped was one - it would have been a success.
After all - the only thing it is costing anyone is their free time !
The farang is there as a middle man as many foreigners welcome the opportunity to ask or explain something to another westerner.
As the post above said - how come nobody mentions the good things they do such as attending events, helping the poor, visiting those in prison and hospitals, sorting out domestic squables, giving advice to desperate people who don't know who else to turn to?
Take a look at the figures of the numbers of the people that the Toursit police have helped - or better still the volunteers have helped. You will see that those who want them and use them far outweigh the numbers who don't want them or despise them. Otherwise the scheme would have been stopped by now.
Even if the figure for those helped was one - it would have been a success.
After all - the only thing it is costing anyone is their free time !
Do not knock what you do not understand. people change when they come here, some help some hinder and some are downright ridiculous.
Anyone that wishes to help thankyou, those that do not like what they do...tough
So a BIG thanks to all those who wish to help their fellowman, no matter what you do or even in some cases why you do it. THANKYOU.
Anyone that wishes to help thankyou, those that do not like what they do...tough
So a BIG thanks to all those who wish to help their fellowman, no matter what you do or even in some cases why you do it. THANKYOU.
Guns
-
laphanphon
agree, if you come here and don't have a little compassion for the locals, not pity, but definitely makes us appreciate that we have western citizenship. it's very hard not to want to help, which helps set ourselves up as an easy patsy, especially during first semester of WBU. then hopefully we don't lose that compassion, when we get completely sceptical and cynical of everyone and thing.
find our way through ourselves and new choice of home.
as screwed up and embarrassing the usa has become, i'm glad i was born and raised there. some of the alternatives are truly suicidal. also glad in many ways i grew up on the other side of the tracks, no matter the challenges and trials and tribulations. luckily i was one that got thru it, so probably made me a better person and much more appreciative of what we have. though it probably would of been nice to be some rich daddy's kid. poverty sucked, but if one of the lucky ones, and escape, builds character. and i've been described as 'quite a character' by a few, though not sure if always a compliment.
now if i could find some other country i trusted to accept me, AND, keep my benefits i worked for, i might jump ship, but don't see any other country that stupid.
find our way through ourselves and new choice of home.
as screwed up and embarrassing the usa has become, i'm glad i was born and raised there. some of the alternatives are truly suicidal. also glad in many ways i grew up on the other side of the tracks, no matter the challenges and trials and tribulations. luckily i was one that got thru it, so probably made me a better person and much more appreciative of what we have. though it probably would of been nice to be some rich daddy's kid. poverty sucked, but if one of the lucky ones, and escape, builds character. and i've been described as 'quite a character' by a few, though not sure if always a compliment.
now if i could find some other country i trusted to accept me, AND, keep my benefits i worked for, i might jump ship, but don't see any other country that stupid.
You know I read this post earlier and found it interesting but had thought to not respond to it as I don't live in Udon but as time went on I feel I have to respond to a couple of thought patterns of posters here. I am a retired officer who worked public safety ( I.E.- combined police and fire and ems) though I spent the majority of my time on the law enforcement side I know borth. Its true most coppers have large ego's, they have to! How do you expect a guy to go into a major bar fight were he is outnumbered 5 to 1 unless he has that ego going for him, start doubting yourself and you are toast for sure. Yet take that same guy and put him in a firehouse where he has to live with 10 other guys for 24 hrs sharing everyting, answer he surpress's that ego and after a bit he fits right in.
There are some guys who take the job for the position of power, sure that will always be the case but those guys normaly don't last and are gone somewhere else. Most will go out of there way to reach out and help someone in need but they rarely show it because it is perceived as a weakness, you get that way by dealing with people at their very worse. You don't get to see the happy moments of a normal homelife, all you see is the worse when you get called to a house were Dad had too much to drink and came home to his wife yelling at him so he gives her a few smacks to shut her up. You end up thinking almost everybody is like this if your not careful. And you wonder why most coppers think very poorly of most people, I was lucky I had a training officer who understood about people and showed me the good in most, our job was to keep the peace until things could sort themselfs out.
Last but not least, Police officers in the US are almost all Civil service employees and have been for the past 25 years. You owe your job to no one and while political pressure can be brought to bear it is very minimul. It is a profession pure and simple, to think otherwise is quite silly, unless you are dealing with a rural county sheriff that officers job is pretty much secure so he is not going to play the political game leaving that to the brass who get appointments beyond the rank of Captain by being nominated by politicans just like police in other countrys. When I was contemplating moving to Udon I had thought about spending some of my spare time volunteering as what I really did not want to do is sit around and become a crotchedy old man complaining about everything and just perhaps if I could help out a fellow falang by being there that would have been fine. circumstances had me end up in another country but in many way my heart resides in the LOS.
There are some guys who take the job for the position of power, sure that will always be the case but those guys normaly don't last and are gone somewhere else. Most will go out of there way to reach out and help someone in need but they rarely show it because it is perceived as a weakness, you get that way by dealing with people at their very worse. You don't get to see the happy moments of a normal homelife, all you see is the worse when you get called to a house were Dad had too much to drink and came home to his wife yelling at him so he gives her a few smacks to shut her up. You end up thinking almost everybody is like this if your not careful. And you wonder why most coppers think very poorly of most people, I was lucky I had a training officer who understood about people and showed me the good in most, our job was to keep the peace until things could sort themselfs out.
Last but not least, Police officers in the US are almost all Civil service employees and have been for the past 25 years. You owe your job to no one and while political pressure can be brought to bear it is very minimul. It is a profession pure and simple, to think otherwise is quite silly, unless you are dealing with a rural county sheriff that officers job is pretty much secure so he is not going to play the political game leaving that to the brass who get appointments beyond the rank of Captain by being nominated by politicans just like police in other countrys. When I was contemplating moving to Udon I had thought about spending some of my spare time volunteering as what I really did not want to do is sit around and become a crotchedy old man complaining about everything and just perhaps if I could help out a fellow falang by being there that would have been fine. circumstances had me end up in another country but in many way my heart resides in the LOS.
short time as in short time till I can retire
-
stattointhailand
- udonmap.com
- Posts: 19114
- Joined: October 25, 2007, 11:34 pm
- Location: Oiling the locks on my gun case
As far as I am aware, on most occations the volunteers do not parade around in uniforms, or try to be "The big I am", but just go about their usual business.
I am privaledged to know several Torist Police Volunteers, and I think that many others that post on this forum know them too ....... it's just that you dont know they are volunteers.
Anyone who has been into the many bars in Udon, has probably had a chat with at least two or three volunteers without knowing it.
Anyone who plays golf has probably played with volunteers without knowing it.
These guys are volunteers for one reason ........... to help make my life (and yours) better. I know for a fact that farang police volunteers have been responsible for keeping several farang "out of the cooler" in the last couple of years............ even if some deserved to be in there!!
These guys have lived here for several years and know many of the farang residents. They use that knowledge to diffuse situations that could turn nasty (mainly due to lack of understanding).
Most of the time they do nothing ............. but when required, they give their time to help us all.
Please give them the chance to help both us residents and the tourists that visit our wonderful city
None of us are "Holyer than thou", and you never know when you may need their help
I am privaledged to know several Torist Police Volunteers, and I think that many others that post on this forum know them too ....... it's just that you dont know they are volunteers.
Anyone who has been into the many bars in Udon, has probably had a chat with at least two or three volunteers without knowing it.
Anyone who plays golf has probably played with volunteers without knowing it.
These guys are volunteers for one reason ........... to help make my life (and yours) better. I know for a fact that farang police volunteers have been responsible for keeping several farang "out of the cooler" in the last couple of years............ even if some deserved to be in there!!
These guys have lived here for several years and know many of the farang residents. They use that knowledge to diffuse situations that could turn nasty (mainly due to lack of understanding).
Most of the time they do nothing ............. but when required, they give their time to help us all.
Please give them the chance to help both us residents and the tourists that visit our wonderful city
None of us are "Holyer than thou", and you never know when you may need their help
-
fatbas***d
- udonmap.com
- Posts: 536
- Joined: December 1, 2005, 3:47 pm
- Location: Udon
There's a lot of farang tourist police volunteer bashing, especially in Pattaya where there's one group that works with the regular police and another, totally separate team that work with the tourist police. They are mutually exclusive but they do have the same mandate as the Udon volunteers which has been accurately portrayed elsewhere in this thread. The detractors usually give away their hatred of police in general by quickly dropping the words 'para-military' or 'jackboots' in their diatribes or commenting on the black apparel chosen by one of these volunteer groups mentioned. I would hazard a guess that most of these complainants are from the UK and have either been arrested or much more likely, just like to recycle anecdotal evidence of alleged police heavy-handedness as it's makes them feel like the 'hard men' that they aren't. Whatever floats your boat.
Unfortunately, volunteering for any involvement with any police force in any country will always be hard to swallow by this minority. As long as the wellbeing of the community is served, the local police are happy and the volunteer feels rewarded, these objectors can stick their opinions where the nice policeman wants to stick his baton.
Unfortunately, volunteering for any involvement with any police force in any country will always be hard to swallow by this minority. As long as the wellbeing of the community is served, the local police are happy and the volunteer feels rewarded, these objectors can stick their opinions where the nice policeman wants to stick his baton.