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Thailand Police and Paramilitary Forces
Primary responsibility for the maintenance of public order
through enforcement of the kingdom's laws was exercised by the
Thailand National Police Department (TNPD), a subdivision of the
Ministry of Interior. Charged with performing police functions
throughout the entire country, the TNPD was a unitary agency
whose power and influence in Thai national life had at times
rivaled that of the army.
The formal functions of the TNPD included more than the
enforcement of laws and apprehension of offenders. The department
also played an important role in the government's efforts to
suppress the remnants of the insurgency. In the event of an
invasion by external forces, much of the police force would come
under the control of the Ministry of Defense to serve with, but
not be incorporated into, the military forces.
Originally modeled on the pre-World War II national police
force of Japan, the TNPD was reorganized several times to meet
changing public order and internal security needs. American
advice, training, and equipment, which were provided from 1951
through the early 1970s, did much to introduce new law
enforcement concepts and practices and to aid in the
modernization of the TNPD. During this era the strength and
effectiveness of the police grew steadily.
All components of the police system were administered by the
TNPD headquarters in Bangkok, which also provided technical
support for law enforcement activities throughout the kingdom
(see
fig. 20). The major operational units of the force were the
Provincial Police, the Border Patrol Police (BPP), the
Metropolitan Police, and smaller specialized units supervised by
the Central Investigation Bureau.
In mid-1987 the total strength of the TNPD, including administrative and support personnel, was estimated at roughly 110,000.
Of this number, over one-half were assigned to the Provincial
Police and some
40,000 to the BPP. More than 10,000 served in the Metropolitan
Police. Quasi-military in character, the TNPD was headed by a
director general, who held the rank of police general. He was
assisted by three deputy directors general and five assistant
directors general, all of whom held the rank of police lieutenant
general. Throughout the TNPD system, all ranks except the lowest
(constable) corresponded to those of the army. The proliferation
of high ranks in the TNPD organizational structure, as in the
military, indicated the political impact of the police on
national life.
Data as of September 1987
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