6.3 Recommendations: Strengthening Thailand’s Capability to Combat

6.3

Recommendations: Strengthening Thailand’s Capability to Combat TOC under the AEC

In addition to the recommendations for Thailand to combat each type of TOC currently operating in Thailand, recommendations for Thailand to prepare for combating TOC under the AEC were also presented by the stakeholders interviewed.

A higher share of interviewees acknowledged the shortage of resources which are needed to perform their duties efficiently. Most government officers highlighted their resource needs and frequently mentioned the ‘4Ms’: money, manpower, material, management as the way forward to fill these gaps.

Human resources-related needs were the most frequently mentioned, with many Thai interviewees indicating that their respective agencies need not only more staff (especially ‘operatives’ rather than desk officers), but also more qualified staff with specific expertise and a higher level of professionalism. This need is felt even more strongly at the field level in provinces across Thailand.

A better knowledge of foreign languages clearly emerged as the main need in the context of regional

integration. It was widely recognized that the shortage of foreign language skills among public officials and the lack of available interpreters to support police investigation impacts both law enforcement capacity domestically and effectiveness in international cooperation. It is also too limited to allow for effective management of criminal justice and victim recovery procedures involving foreign nationals.

Besides a widespread need for higher proficiency in English, many officers underlined how important it is to have available staff members who can also speak Chinese, Russian, Arabic and ASEAN languages (the latter especially in border areas).

Furthermore, more interpreters are critically needed, especially in border areas; there are currently very few interpreters, with the majority stationed in Bangkok. One interviewee suggested that interpretation services should be made systematically available, for example by signing an agreement with interpretation agencies to which government officers can reach out when needed.

Equally important, according to several interviewees, is to increase the number of personnel with sound legal and technical expertise, in particular staff members who are familiar with modern investigation techniques, have a specialized knowledge of TOC and have the ability to use the newest technologies. The qualifications required for newly recruited staff members should also include higher levels of education. The goal set by one interviewee is to acquire suitable professionals for a specialized TOC unit replicating the initiative already undertaken by other Thai criminal justice agencies.

For greater manpower, the interviewees recommended that government agencies undertake two mutually reinforcing initiatives: promoting increased and more selective staff recruitment processes and providing staff members with more extensive training in foreign languages, investigation techniques and prosecution of TOC, and the use of technologies and legal training.

The shortage of adequate equipment, such as updated technology and its associated training, greatly challenges the operational capacity of many government agencies, particularly those engaged in the field with detection and investigation duties. Those interviewed frequently asked for more advanced detection technology, such as devices to detect fake passports, cash flows, cell phone communication and illegal items. They also requested X-ray machines and GPS systems, while some said that they lacked even basic equipment: vehicles, bulletproof vests, database software, and laptops.

Several interviewees considered it necessary to increase interagency coordination and to streamline procedures in order to ease cooperation among government agencies, especially for the purpose of information and data sharing. This issue is linked to the need for better interagency TOC-related data management in order to plan effective preparation for the regional integration, which was emphasized by several government officers. A handful of interviewees stressed the need for more complete data on the incidence of TOC and database on criminal records.

The TOC-related information sharing process among Thai agencies was frequently described as poorly organized, time-consuming and inefficient. The research team learned that every agency has its own database that it does not share with other agencies. Some officers noted that information sharing with other Thai agencies is often ineffective because of the lack of cooperation and the restrictions imposed by some protocols. These statements were reflected by an international stakeholder who said that there is no ability to produce strategic intelligence to support law enforcement.

A large share of interviewees (including government, non-governmental and international stakeholders) said it is equally important to intensify cooperation in criminal matters with other countries in the region in order to enhance the ability to track offenders and to request and serve arrest warrants. An NGO representative stressed that Thailand cannot stand alone in this fight and needs to cooperate more with other ASEAN member states. There are a number of urgent challenges:

First, mutual legal assistance and other criminal justice cooperation mechanisms are obstructed by time-consuming protocols. More streamlined procedures are needed to enable international cooperation.

Second, government officers should acquire a better knowledge of ASEAN and its member states, including awareness of the AEC among public officials, knowledge of TOC-related laws of other ASEAN member states and an understanding of the culture of other ASEAN member states.

Third, there are obstacles to information sharing with other ASEAN member states and with INTERPOL. No regional hub for information sharing nor data centre on immigration with real-time information currently exists for instant sharing. As a result, information ex-change only occurs on a bilateral basis and is subject to a number of limitations and delays. In addition, even if the Royal Thai Police database was linked to INTERPOL’s red alert list to ease the identification of international offenders, some officers reported that the new system is still not accessible by all field offices. Therefore, some law enforcement units are still not provided with a complete watch list but instead given isolated names shared by INTERPOL on a case-by-case basis via formal letter, preventing Thai enforcement officers from developing a more accurate detection system.

While the ‘4Ms needs’ were the most frequently mentioned demands of government officers, additional gaps were occasionally referenced. These include corruption among public officials and significant gaps in the domestic legislation, especially with regard to terrorist activities. Further research is required to analyse these aspects more extensively.