Revised police hair length rules in Thailand: Insights from the chief

The National Police Office recently abolished its regulation, which required male officers to have a short haircut with a maximum length of 3 centimetres on top. The new regulation allows officers to have hair up to 5 centimetres on top and 1 centimetre on the sides and back.

National Police Chief, Torsak Sukvimol, explained that the change in hairstyle policy stems from directives given by all National Police Chiefs for commanders to visit their subordinates in the field. This is to boost morale amongst officers working on the ground.

Torsak highlighted that, during his visits to the three southernmost provinces, he noticed that officers’ adherence to the short hair regulation made them easy targets for insurgents.

“Since I’ve had the opportunity to take up this position, I wanted to implement this as a policy. This is not a top-down approach but a top-up one based on the realities faced by the officers.”

Torsak emphasised that the decision was not solely his but came from discussions with all commanders who recognised the importance of the officers and the critical nature of their work in the three southernmost provinces.

In these specific areas like the three southernmost provinces, hairstyles should not make officers targets for those with ill intentions.

Similarly, for investigators, maintaining such a hairstyle would only allow them to pretend to be monks, limiting the scope of their undercover operations.

For other duties, existing regulations are in place. Any group involved in special operations not located in specific areas will continue to follow these regulations. Thus, everything is adjusted according to the mission, and officers will know which hairstyle is appropriate for which mission, reported KhaoSod.

Torsak stated that he initially wanted this to be a gift on October 17, but he didn’t want the hair issue to be a significant concern. Instead, his focus is on adapting to the problems and obstacles officers face in the field. From now on, visits should not only be about inspections but also about resolving issues. This is a policy for all commanders.

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