The Royal Thai Police (RTP) has vowed to increase transparency and public confidence in its recruitment and promotion process after a young woman’s rapid promotion to the rank of police captain sparked intense public scrutiny. 

A rapid 3-year rise

Atitiya Benjapak joined the police force as a lance corporal just three years ago in 2020. A year later, she completed a 17-week course for non-graduates of the Royal Police Cadet Academy who were interested in becoming commissioned police officers. After completing the course, she became a police sub-lieutenant on September 1, 2021. Eight months later, she was promoted to the rank of police lieutenant. This year, she rose again to become police captain.

Royal Thai Police spokesman Pol Lt General Archayon Kraithong has defended Atitiya’s rapid rise, insisting she climbed the career ladder in line with rules and regulations. Atitiya holds a master’s degree, educational credentials that she could use to boost her rank.

Loud outcry

However, junior police officers have found it difficult to believe that Atitiya rose through the ranks so quickly simply because her qualifications match the police force’s requirements and fulfil promotion criteria.

Venting their frustration on a Facebook page named “Police Friend”, many said they had worked hard for years but had only advanced slowly, if at all, up the ranks.

Atitiya, 27, also boasts several sidelines to her police career, including contesting in beauty pageants, managing her own company, and hosting a singing show on TV station Channel 5. She even finds time to study for a doctoral degree at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce.

Critics have voiced suspicions that the Kor Or Sor training program taken by Atitiya for advancement to the rank of commissioned officer is nothing more than a short cut to promotion for people with connections. And such preferential treatment for well-connected people means many policemen and policewomen are not being properly rewarded for their hard work, they add.

What is Kor Or Sor?

Launched in 2015, Kor Or Sor offers opportunities for people to join the police force and become commissioned officers without having passed through cadet training. According to its founding objectives, the program is designed for people who lost a parent who was on police duty, people who make key contributions to the nation (such as national athletes), and people whose qualifications match demand from police units. For example, scientists and doctors may join the police force via this program and walk straight into jobs as commissioned police officers.

Kor Or Sor requires students to study four days a week for 17 weeks. Sixteen weeks are devoted to academic content such as basic law, the Civil and Commercial Code, police clerical work, and police regulations. The other week is preserved for fieldwork, which covers 28 hours of training in handling public assemblies and includes educational visits to police agencies.

What’s wrong, then?

Prominent whistleblower Chuwit Kamolvisit has claimed members of the police force without connections are never able to climb the career ladder as fast as Atitiya, not even if they serve in the insurgency-hit deep South where extra credits for promotion are on offer.

He said Kor Or Sor is a fast track for police career advancement used by attractive women and the offspring of rich families.

Rangsiman Rome, a prominent member of the Move Forward Party, pointed out that many graduates of Kor Or Sor have famous surnames. Among them are Songkarn Taechanarong and Techatorn Jamikorn, both from powerful and well-connected families.

“If we become the ruling party, we will keep Kor Or Sor under check to prevent nepotism and cronyism,” Rangsiman pledged.

Rangsiman and Move Forward have long complained that position-buying is rife in the RTP. Rumors abound that “lucrative” posts in the force can be bought for sums upward of 5 million baht.

Chuwit also hinted that some Kor Or Sor graduates had ties to shady businesses too.

By Thai PBS World