Phuket 7-Elevens to join crime-fighting campaign in New Year

PHUKET: All Phuket 7-Eleven convenience stores are set to join a campaign to improve police response times by early next year, it was announced this week.

The campaign, taking advantage of the number of 7-Eleven stores on the island and their visibility, will see staffers trained to receive crime reports and contact police on the behalf of victims.

Representatives from all 7-Eleven stores throughout the island joined Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Commander Peerayuth Karajedee on Tuesday to discuss details of how the crime-reporting plan is to be rolled out.

“Every 7-Eleven store in Phuket has said that they want to join us, as they are all aware of the importance of tourists’ safety,” Col Peerayuth told the Phuket Gazette.

“Next, we need to agree on some ways to provide swift communication between 7-Eleven staff and police officers in case of an emergency. We will officially launch the campaign in January.”

The idea was first tested at 7-Eleven stores in Kata-Karon in October.

Karon Police Inspector Pornnarong Karnonchai was credited with the idea (story here).

“We have been wanting to launch this campaign for a long time. We started training 7-Eleven staff in July in basic police report procedure,” Maj Pornnarong said in October.

“There are 10 stores total in Kata-Karon. When tourists report a crime to 7-Eleven staff, they will call us right away. It will take less than five minutes for an officer to arrive at the store.”

At the meeting on Tuesday, Col Peerayuth asked for all 7-Eleven store managers to ensure each store’s CCTV cameras were properly installed.

“Please check that each camera is adjusted to the correct angle for the best view and make sure that no advertisements or awnings obstruct the camera’s view,” he said.

“Also, any new cameras installed should be high definition in order to provide the most effective evidence.”

— Kritsada Mueanhawong