Top brass check police stations

PHUKET CITY: Officers at Phuket City Police Station yesterday found themselves under the scrutiny of Pol Maj Gen Ronnarong Yungyouen, the Deputy Commissioner of Police Region 8, and five other senior officers from Region 8 headquarters in Surat Thani, who were in Phuket to assess the performance of police stations on the island. The inspection tour, which reached Phuket on Tuesday, was part of the annual “Police Station for the People” assessment of police stations in Region 8, which also covers Chumphon, Ranong, Phang Nga, Krabi, Surat Thani and Nakhon Sri Thammarat provinces. Gen Ronnarong explained, “We will check the 111 police stations in Region 8 to see if they pass our standards. If they do not, then at least we know what needs to be improved and how we can support the improvements.” Phuket City Police Station won first prize in the “Police Station for the People” competition in 2002 for its performance in terms of justice, security, serving people, traffic control, improving staff and the station itself, working systems and public relations. Last year, however, it was topped by Samui Police Station. “Police officers at Phuket City Police Station are considered the best in Phuket, and are very well-trained. They may be the most efficient team in Region 8,” the General said. To improve officers’ skills further, a training session with various weapons was conducted during the inspection team’s visit. In the afternoon, Gen Ronnarong and the rest of his team moved on to Chalong Police Station, before leaving the island to continue assessing other police stations in the region. A date has yet to be set for the announcement of this year’s winner of the best police station award.