What to do when pulled over by the police?

Post by **beachyhead** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 8:36 am

I have been driving here for more than 3 years now and have had no problems in Hua Hin, been stopped on the by pass going to Springfield a few times and get stopped in BK every time I drive there. I have tried the " I don't understand " and standing my ground but I find it is just not worth the hassel.
I hand my Thai licence over and then just sit there holding a 100 Bt note just under the window line and then just say " give me the ticket " to anything they say. They always just take the money and wave me on as if they write the ticket they get bugger all but I wont pay more than 100 Bt, I always keep a 100 Bt note tucked in my sun visor so they don't see how much money I have in my pocket. Sometimes they keep hold of your licence and say I have to go to some Police station miles away to pay the fine and then come to get my licence back and I have said OK keep my licence and got my phone out to pretend to take a photo of the policeman and they just hand the licence back and grab the money. Stand your ground don't offer more than 100 Bt !! at the end of the day your being mugged.

Post by **hhfarang** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 10:19 am

You're braver than me Beacyhead... I never argue over a few hundred baht with a man wearing a gun!

Post by **yellowking** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 10:21 pm

beachyhead wrote:I have been driving here for more than 3 years now and have had no problems in Hua Hin, been stopped on the by pass going to Springfield a few times and get stopped in BK every time I drive there. I have tried the " I don't understand " and standing my ground but I find it is just not worth the hassel.
I hand my Thai licence over and then just sit there holding a 100 Bt note just under the window line and then just say " give me the ticket " to anything they say. They always just take the money and wave me on as if they write the ticket they get bugger all but I wont pay more than 100 Bt, I always keep a 100 Bt note tucked in my sun visor so they don't see how much money I have in my pocket. Sometimes they keep hold of your licence and say I have to go to some Police station miles away to pay the fine and then come to get my licence back and I have said OK keep my licence and got my phone out to pretend to take a photo of the policeman and they just hand the licence back and grab the money. Stand your ground don't offer more than 100 Bt !! at the end of the day your being mugged.

Actually there is a lot of truth in this if they think 100 baht is all you have they will take it. I've tried that twice and it's worked.

A friend refuses point blank to pay anything and says take me to the station then, so far the dibble has always backed down to him. Hes lived in Thailand for 15 years but only speaks English when they stop him. Although I think a lot of the reason he gets away with it is if you dont know him he's a bit of an intimdating sort to look at.

Post by **dtaai-maai** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 10:38 pm

Fair post, yellowking, until this...

yellowking wrote: . Although I think a lot of the reason he gets away with it is if you dont know him he's a bit of an intimdating sort to look at.

Cop has gun, farang in car with door shut looks intimidating - my money's on the cop!

Post by **yellowking** » Tue Aug 25, 2009 10:51 pm

dtaai-maai wrote:Fair post, yellowking, until this...
yellowking wrote: . Although I think a lot of the reason he gets away with it is if you dont know him he's a bit of an intimdating sort to look at.
Cop has gun, farang in car with door shut looks intimidating - my money's on the cop!

Maybe, i know of one cop in hua Hin who will hire you his gun.

Whilst they are being paid peanuts and they employ Monkeys nothing will really change. We all just grin and baear it on the few occaisions we are stopped.

Post by **johnnyk** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 12:15 am

Best not to provoke a BiB.
A Canadian woman did that last year in northern Thailand.
BiB was drunk.
The Canadian boyfriend has left the building.

Post by **bozzman101** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 7:10 am

it can be teidious chatting to a rice picker in a brown suit with a gun onhis hip

Post by **johnnyk** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 9:42 am

bozzman101 wrote:it can be teidious chatting to a rice picker in a brown suit with a gun onhis hip

chat nicely its ok 99.9% of the time. exhibit falang loudmouth behaviour and life can be "nasty, brutish and short".

Post by **Lung Per** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 12:03 pm

yellowking wrote:
dtaai-maai wrote:Fair post, yellowking, until this...
yellowking wrote: . Although I think a lot of the reason he gets away with it is if you dont know him he's a bit of an intimdating sort to look at.
Cop has gun, farang in car with door shut looks intimidating - my money's on the cop!

Maybe, i know of one cop in hua Hin who will hire you his gun
.

Whilst they are being paid peanuts and they employ Monkeys nothing will really change. We all just grin and baear it on the few occaisions we are stopped.

Right on - pls. PM me the name of your cop friend

(Sorry guys - I just couldn't let go

)

Spitfire · Post by **Spitfire** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 12:30 pm

The police farce is just another environmental hazard along with soi dogs/parking problems/scooter boys/being overcharged by tuk-tuk drivers or taxis etc. Sometimes you see them and sometimes not. If you have a Thai license, insurance, tax and are not doing something daft then they leave you alone 90% of the time. The other 10% of the time you might have to talk to them for a minute or two. Best to play stupid and pretend to not speak Thai.

The only place I have ever encountered having to pay them is on the highways once, a couple of years ago, when I was doing 100 kmh, OK, fine, have your 200 baht. Not worth getting mouthy over 3-4 pound/$6/5 euros just to forget about it and drive on. They seem to be more active on this front towards the end of the month when karaoke/Singha/100 Pipers money is in short supply or the local colonel needs to make his monthly payment on his Mercedes S class.

When they stop people in towns or cities they are really just checking for people who don't pay their road tax or don't have a license, that's what they are looking for because so many don't have either. This doesn't include me so I always get waved on.

Make yourself legal and it won't be a problem and if it is then 100 baht or so is not the end of the world.

Post by **f0xxee** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 4:33 pm

I was pulled over speeding on my motorbike (not a scooter- big bike) riding from Chiang Mai to Pattaya.
The nice copper gave me the ticket and I paid him 200 B and he told me:
"Ok you can speed now, you have paid for ticket today". Great stuff! Now that is common sense policing! For 200B I bought a 24hr licence to speed!

Post by **yellowking** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 4:41 pm

f0xxee wrote:I was pulled over speeding on my motorbike (not a scooter- big bike) riding from Chiang Mai to Pattaya.
The nice copper gave me the ticket and I paid him 200 B and he told me:
"Ok you can speed now, you have paid for ticket today". Great stuff! Now that is common sense policing! For 200B I bought a 24hr licence to speed!

Thats quality just make sure they don't use your speed as Target Practice

Post by **Takiap** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 6:03 pm

Pay the 200 baht and carry on with your life. I have acted as if I was deaf and dumb once and it worked but not easy keeping a straight face. When I did it, it was not about the money but rather just for a laugh.

Ten years in Thailand.................3 parking tickets outside HH post office, 1 fine for no licence and 1 fine for no helmet. That's 800 baht over a period of ten years. I can assure you, you end up paying more that that just to park you car for a day in the UK so I really can't see what the problem is.

Anyway, I suppose some people just need reason to moan.

Post by **yellowking** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 6:11 pm

Takiap wrote:
Anyway, I suppose some people just need reason to moan.

I don't think most of us here are moaning just talking tongue in cheek.

I certainly don't have a problem with it I've always got 100 baht handy just in case 200 if I'm in a good mood.

Post by **beachyhead** » Wed Aug 26, 2009 7:45 pm

I never argue with them, I smile and hold my 100bt note under the window line and just say " up to you give me the ticket " they have never asked for more money and if they did I would still say "up to you give me the ticket" Don't pay more than 100 Bt. I guy I know reckons he always insists on the ticket and won't pay, sometimes it can take them 30 mins to write the ticket, thinking he will give up and pay but he just sits there and never complains and when he gets the ticket he bins it, he says nobody has ever followed it up, I would worry one day it could come back to haunt you, visa refusal ? so I would rather pay my 100bt. I don't know if it is a fact but I was told that the police have to buy their promotions from their boss, that will pay them a better salary?