Phuket pessimistic about ‘Safety Zone’ plan: poll

PHUKET: Pessimism reigns over a plan by the Royal Thai Police to set up a “Safety Zone” in Patong, with more than four-fifths of people taking part in a recent Phuket Gazette online poll thinking the initiative would have “little or no effect”.

A total of 1,640 people took part in the two-week poll, which was launched on July 13.

Readers were asked: Deputy National Police Gen Pansiri Prapawat recently announced a bold “Safety Zone” plan for Patong under which strict law enforcement would help reduce tourist complaints related to tuk-tuks, jet-skis and personal safety issues. What do you think will be the effect of this in the long-term?

Overall, 86.3% of readers thought the initiative would have “little or no effect”.

Of those who thought the plan would make a difference, 7.1% thought it would have a “significant positive effect”, while 4.9% thought it would have a “large positive” effect.

Few people taking part thought the initiative would worsen the tourist security situation in Patong, however. Just 0.9% thought it would have a “significant negative effect” and 0.7% thought it would have a “large negative effect”.

There was little variation by demographic group, except that those identifying themselves as Thais were more likely to think the plan would have a positive impact.

Those identifying themselves as “local foreign residents” were the most pessimistic, with 91% thinking the initiative would have little or no effect.

To view the complete results, click here.

To vote in the new poll on the trend in real estate prices in Phuket, click here.

For the latest update on efforts to register illegal taxis and jet-skis, click here.

To view a 2009 poll on the jet-ski issue, click here.

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