RTP to erase 10 million innocent individuals from criminal database

A sweeping initiative is currently underway at the Royal Thai Police (RTP) headquarters, set to clear nearly 10 million innocent individuals from its criminal database. Deputy National Police Chief, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, yesterday revealed at a press conference that RTP seeks to integrate enhanced human rights principles into its processes.

The initiative, grounded in the new fingerprint regulation announced on April 27 and implemented on May 27, instructs the Criminal Records Division of the Office of Police Forensic Science to retain records strictly of convicted criminals. Fingerprints of the exonerated, individuals awaiting a verdict, and those sentenced to a month or less in prison or receiving suspended sentences, will be eliminated from the system. Big Joke said…

“There are currently 13,079,324 fingerprint records in our criminal database, but with the improved regulation, only 3,708,359 criminal records will be kept. To the 10 million plus individuals who never faced a conviction, we have to be fair.”

The previous protocol mandating that police request the removal of acquitted civilians’ names from the Criminal Records Division was heavily criticised for its sluggish and ineffective nature.

According to Big Joke, the reformed regulation is a top-down policy that segregates the criminal records database into three distinct categories. First are criminal suspects with unresolved cases – their records will remain confidential and may be accessed only for police investigations or civil service applications. The second group comprises non-criminal offenders sentenced to less than a month in prison, handed a suspended sentence or a fine, or who committed a crime due to negligence. These records will be kept strictly for investigative uses.

The third category, Big Joke clarified, includes convicted criminals who received a sentence longer than a month, solidifying the new regulation’s dedicated focus on serious offenders. This expansive database overhaul is an unambiguous statement of RTP’s commitment towards a more rights-centred criminal justice system, championing the innocent until proven guilty principle.