High time for a crackdown on all crime

The tendency of the police to pursue only the more serious or high-profile cases reported to them could be one of the factors for the alarming increase in crime in 2007

Published on May 9, 2008

The Crime Reporters Association has done a good job of compiling and researching the crime statistics for 2007 released by the Royal Thai Police earlier this year. The findings confirmed what many people suspected all along - that criminal activity was on the rise amid political turmoil and economic uncertainty. The number of crimes reported to police increased to 423,253 cases, or 5.5 per cent more than in the year 2006.

Presented in an easy-to-understand format, the crime statistics translated into 13 people falling victim to murder or manslaughter, 14 women or children being raped, 182 homes or offices burgled, and eight cars stolen every single day in 2007, plus an armed robbery every four hours.

A total of 141,837 crimes involving illicit drugs were reported in 2007, a sharp increase of 28 per cent from the previous year. More crimes were committed by people under 20: youths were involved in 51,128 offences reported in 2007, compared to 48,218 in 2006.

These grim statistics create a lot of worry about the lack of public safety. The problem is, crimes tend to happen more often to people of lower income and social background, or those living in poorer neighbourhoods that are not well organised.

Police success rate

What the Crime Reporters Association apparently failed to mention is the police force's success rate in solving crimes reported to them. It would be interesting to know how determined investigators are in pursuing wrongdoers.

A high rate of success in solving cases and bringing the guilty to justice would serve as the most effective deterrent against crime by making would-be criminals think twice. Unfortunately, it is commonplace for police to concentrate their efforts on serious crimes, particularly those that have been publicised in the media. It is a common knowledge that investigators hardly bother to tackle petty crimes like burglaries, partly because usually no one is hurt in such crimes and partly because they require manpower and costly resources, including scientific crime-detection equipment.

But this kind of attitude is wrong-headed and encourages criminals to carry on with similar crimes or emboldens them to commit more serious ones. Police investigators must pay attention to all types of crime and bring the wrongdoers to justice if a high level of public safety is to be achieved.