Thailand’s police inspector-general, Pol Gen Visanu Prasarttong-Osoth, has ordered all provincial police bureaux to conduct random checks of the physical and mental health of the men in every police station, in an attempt to ensure that they are healthy to avoid a repeat of the recent armed stand-off in Bangkok’s Sai Ma area involving an officer.
In the incident, a police officer with reported psychiatric problems shot at his house with a handgun and then engaged in an armed stand-off with police for about 27 hours, which began on Tuesday morning. At noon yesterday (Wednesday) police decided to storm the house to disarm him. The officer was shot and taken to Bhumibol Hospital, where he died last night from his wounds.
In addition to the random health checks, police should encourage members of the public to report any police officers who appear to have psychiatric disorders.
