Police get training in handling bombs

PHUKET CITY: The Special Operations Unit (SOU) of Phuket Provincial Police are receiving some timely training in the use of blast suppression blankets – commonly known as bomb blankets – from Frank Boyd, a Supervisory Security Specialist with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service at the US Embassy in Bangkok.

Pol Capt Charkrawat Buntaweekulsawat, the Chief of Phuket SOU, stressed that the two-day training course at Phuket City Police Station is not related to the discovery of a timebomb in Pa Khlok on March 10 (see here for story).

“The training was due to take place soon after the blankets were to be given to us, in December last year,” Capt Charkrawat said.

“However, the schedule was affected by the tsunami. That’s why the training is taking place now.”

Capt Charkrawat said that a 1.5 x 1.5 meter blanket – which cost 500,000 baht and was donated by the US Embassy – was deployed in the recent Pa Khlok incident.

The bomb was wrapped in the blanket before being transported and detonated in a controlled explosion.

Mr Boyd said Phuket security agencies received training in the handling of suspect devices and the safe evacuation of people in September last year, adding that these exercises are a good medium for exchanging experience and ideas between the two countries.

“But this is not to do with terrorism,” he emphasized. “The purpose of the training is to prepare the authorities for a situation when someone crazy plants a bomb somewhere.”