Rising Crime In Hua Hin

Hua Hin general discussion, observations and chat. Hua Hin topics that don't really fit anywhere else.
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hhfarang
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Rising Crime In Hua Hin

Post by hhfarang »

Has everyone seen this article from The Hua Hin Report http://www.huahinreport.com/ ?

"Thieving flourishes on falling economy

Hua Hin News: We reported on climbing crime in Hua Hin a couple of months ago and are sad to report that the trend is still increasing. The number of reported break-ins and burglaries are up as opportunists become more desperate to fight the rising cost of living. Economic woes are the worry of many as fuel and rice prices continue to climb with little light at the end of the financial tunnel.

Foreigners are often seen as a soft target in Hua Hin as home security measures are occasionally overlooked, many homes are left vacant, and the potential bounty for the would-be thief is far greater. For many years seen as a “Paradise City” Hua Hin is rapidly becoming a haven for brazen bandits looking to make a quick baht from the pickings of prosperous foreigners. Sadly the local constabulary tends to offer very little in the way of assistance to foreigners who are often seen as being far enough above the bread-line not to worry about a missing laptop or jewelry.

This leaves us pretty much alone in the battle against burglars. Increasing our general awareness and home and personal security seems to be the only measure in a town where the law offers little comfort to the alien.

Crime is not limited to burglary though; the canal road heading north of Hua Hin has become a recent hot-spot of activity where several people have been attacked by teenagers on motorcycles late at night. The stick brandishing thugs tend to target foreigners so be on your guard if you have to travel along this road which is lined with local karaoke bars often entertaining those that should be ‘protecting and serving’.
With office break-ins, personal attacks, house burglaries and even a car firebomb attack all happening in the last month it seems that this insidious trend is rising as quick as the prices that maybe fuelling it."

I'm afraid with this and the problems in the property market, our little paradise is getting a lot of bad press these days. :(
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Post by Jockey »

HHfarang, its not just Hua Hin - the world is becoming a desperate place. The privately owned Federal Reserve have been printing money like monopoly to feed their wars and huge credit. Too much has been loaned out and we are now seeing the effects of these insane policies. Food and energy costs are rising the world over. There is a property crisis the world over. Banks and the Stock markets are in trouble the world over. The collapse is only being delayed by the Fed printing even more money. Americans are queuing outside banks to withdraw all their money. The panic has started. Its only the beginning. Poor people are becoming desperate. Violence will follow.




:thumb: Have a nice day!
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Post by sandman67 »

Go go HH Report! Seems they've got a taste for this one......

Of course, till someone hammers a rolled up copy up the chief of police and mayors noses I dont think they'll be doing anything down at the "xmas lights palace".....they are all too busy finding a new place to put up another useless sodding flashing lights sign or painting another useless set of wash off marks on the road..... :thumb:
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Post by Guess »

sandman67 wrote:............ till someone hammers a rolled up copy up the chief of police and mayors noses I dont think they'll be doing anything....
As the article criticises the MIB twice I don't thinks that's the wisest move. A properly drafted letter written in Thai and English and presented politely to those two officials may get some response.

What I think is needed right now is a residents committee that will act as spokesperson.

There are enough people on the forum on the three threads that I have seen to form such a group. I am sure that a few local businesses who understand the medium and long term implications will support the group.

Someone needs to take the lead.
sandman67 wrote:......down at the "xmas lights palace"..............
Que?

Suggestions regarding vigilantes, Guardian Angels and the like will only make the situation worse and gather anti farang support from innocent respectable Thais.

On second thoughts
sandman67 wrote:............ till some hammers roll up the chief of police and mayor, I don't think they'll be doing anything....
That sounds better.
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Post by buksida »

Its about time some of the truth was reported as opposed to the namby-pamby flowery propaganda that graces the covers of all of the other poor excuses for publications in this town.

People need to know that these things are going on and if the cops are bent then they need to be prepared for that too!

Fairplay I say!
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Post by ste860 »

i think if a farang reports a crime the file just gets put in a drawer never to see the light of day,thats why i said in another thread about the torist police who i spoke to the other day,if people see just the one policeman then he must surely act,maybe if he clears up the problem he might even get promotion and a new badge :)
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Post by The understudy »

[quote="Jockey"]HHfarang, its not just Hua Hin - the world is becoming a desperate place. The privately owned Federal Reserve have been printing money like monopoly to feed their wars and huge credit. Too much has been loaned out and we are now seeing the effects of these insane policies. Food and energy costs are rising the world over. There is a property crisis the world over. Banks and the Stock markets are in trouble the world over. The collapse is only being delayed by the Fed printing even more money. Americans are queuing outside banks to withdraw all their money. The panic has started. Its only the beginning. Poor people are becoming desperate. Violence will follow.




:thumb: Have a nice day![/quote]

Jockey I've been following this Crisis too and these are not Isolated incidents. people all over the world are effected by these Increasings in food, Energy & cost of Living. As I had heard from my sister who lives in the America and yes people are getting jittery and withdrawing all their money. The real run hasn't begun yet but as this year is progressing even further expect the real run for Money in the Banks to begin this Fall. And for this festive Season in the US (Helloween, Thankgiving and Christmas) I forsee a sharp drop in consumer spending as they see uncertaintly of the Future continue to worsen.
The poor are really getting desperate as they very limited amounst to spent as Food Energy is creaping higher and higher by the day. JOckey when will you predict Violence staring to happen ?

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Post by buksida »

The reason this is about Hua Hin and not Tbilisi or La Paz is because we ... erm ... live here. :idea:

Of course it goes on elsewhere but we're not going to get robbed there.
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Post by STEVE G »

Yes, if Hua Hin house-breakers and muggers were over exposed in US sub-prime investments, let’s hope that they will have learnt a lesson and put some hedge on oil and gold next time around.
Actually I think the big problem in holiday resorts is that they attract people after easy money, and when it dries up they look for the next easiest way of getting it.
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Post by sandman67 »

Guess

sorry mate - I call the council offices the "xmas lights palace" .... if its sparkly and useless they buy it.....if its needed or has a practical use they dont.
Suggestions regarding vigilantes, Guardian Angels and the like will only make the situation worse and gather anti farang support from innocent respectable Thais.
Wasn't suggesting that at all....what Id suggest is a good hard look at what the hell the MIBS are actually doing to sort out this crime problem.....

Im also suggesting the mayor stops wasting money on signs that say "Welcome to Hua Hin / Paradise City" or useless pedestrian crossings painted using wash/wear off paint on the fastest stretches of the racetrack.

Y can stick as much gold leaf on a turd as y like....its still a turd under the gloss.

what gets me is that these crime problems are not impossible to address....it just takes a bit of application and throwing out the "mai pen rai" attitude that really means "doing nothing is best". It means ensuring the plod do "protect and serve"...... in that they look after the whole community not protect their own interests and serve themselves.

The road crossing between the markets is a good example....stick a copper on there between 6 and 12 to make sure that tourists dont have to take their lives in their hands when they cross the road....Ive seen some old people nearly wiped out by prats on peds or in trucks all because they couldn't cross the road fast enough and Thais seem to think its funny to drive at the farangs....

Pedestrianise the BintaBar area - the "square" - stop idiotic Thai kids on peds using it as a racetrack and knobs in big SUVs driving down there scattering walkers. Only open it to traders and the bin men at night.

Send out regular foot patrols of two Tourist Police to walk the beat along the same areas..... smiley helpful ones not ones that think they are some sort of paramilitary police. Keep them out and about till after the bars close....including the Hilton .....so about 3am at least.

Concentrate night patrols along the canal road/station area and soi 88 (mentioned in a previous post as a yoof collection area). Set up static checks at choke points, send out rolling patrols along the roads stopping and questioning anyone riding bikes with no helmets, 3 to a bike, no lights etc.... y know..... enforce the law a bit. The laws that exist....not the ones y make up to fiddle money off the tourists and ex-pats.

Visit the karaoke and street bars along those roads in uniform.....make the bar owners aware of the recent problems and aware that maybe they should take an interest in finding the sods who are attacking people.... send out a big loud message to bar owners and customers that attacking people, Thai or Farang, or using the roads as racetracks stops now before someone gets seriously hurt or killed by this stupidity.

And when a building site gets approved by the bods at the council offices, send the plod out and get copies of vehicle numbers and the IDs of the building crews.....make sure they know they are being watched. Patrol the areas where the buildings are being put up....

Apply a bit of proper funding, some proper forethought and planning, and stamp the problems out now.

That or they will escalate and some poor sod will end up in a box.

:cuss:
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Post by The understudy »

:agree: with you the understudy does Sandman a proper enforcement of the Law is badly needed and should better come now than later.
I'm quite Optimistic if someone would write a Letter in Thai explaining his case and put all the points that Sandmans mentioned in Thai and send it out as a petition to the Mayor and Municipality! Things will get better if not start hunting Names and get the new Mayor out of Office ASAP!

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Post by Super Joe »

Recently the new Hua Hin Mayor, the Police and the Tourist Police have all separately announced that fighting crime and break-in's is a priority. They maintain they have set up new crime prevention units and 'may' set up a foreign residents association that meets one a month where we can put our views accross. They have also given security proposals to developments and 'asked' the development to put them in place, burglary prevention is mostly down to us really.
So not sure writing to them will help much as they will maintain they are already putting prevention in place etc etc, and to give it time to work etc etc.

Before anyone bites my head off, and I wouldn't blame you, I am only saying what they've announced not that I think it's working yet.

Maybe if anyone is genuinely serious about getting involved they could take them up on their offer of a monthly residents meeting thing, and make suggestions there. Ie: a police patrol down the canal road after 10pm, if they know you're going to check it and bring it up at the next meeting it might be put in place. Then again .........

SJ
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Post by kendo »

How about a HHAD online potition could that be a good platform to make the police and local bigwigs notice farang protest in a respectfull way. At the end of the day bad press and stigma tend to stick and it's all part of there local economy and housing market you would think they would be proud to serve the local community because it's in there best intrests too. :guns: :cheers: :D
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Post by sandman67 »

anybody know anyone at the Bangkok Post or Nation? :wink: Maybe a nice feature headline in the property section.....Problems In Paradise.

What is needed is a complete change of mindset in the local plod.....stop looking at us as the cause of crime or walking ATMs.....stop sitting in offices saying "dai khap" lots.... get off your arses and do what police do.....bash the beat, use yer ears and yer brain. Stop taking bungs...start nicking people. Protect and Serve.

Oh....and dont take 10 times longer than every other police force to do something.....

As for the mayor....well he MAY set up a local residents body....I doubt it as we dont vote so he dont care.

Maybe he will if this carries on, and the bad press starts hitting the tourist industry at the same time a Thai economic slump hits the BKK Bo-ho weekend crowd. I suppose thats the "negative pitch".

The positive way of selling it would be "imagine all the good press and prestige you will attract if you are a properly functioning community police force. Promotions, medals. Local businesses thriving. King will be happy his home is the safest place in Thailand for his people and visitors to be. Press will laud you...voters will love you. Lots of respect.....lots of face."

Personally I think it will take a farang or two in a box before anything real happens.

Till then it will be the usual Thai politico flannel, evasion and inactivity. :cuss:


ahhhh....sorry for the cynicism........ill sod off and have a voddy.....that should chill me out :cheers:
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Post by crazy88 »

Anyone got a number for Spiderman or Daredevil ? They can sort it out whilst I take Wonder Woman and Elektra for a few tequilas :wink: :cheers:

Crazy 88
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