Bangkok police arrested nearly 600 suspects and confiscated over 200 firearms during a five-day crackdown that ended Tuesday, Metropolitan Police Bureau Chief Kamronwit Thoopkrachang said yesterday.
Pol Maj Gen Kamonrit said that orders for the mini-campaign against drugs and crime in Bangkok had come from national police chief Priewpan Damapong, the Bangkok Post reported.
Police arrested 586 suspects, about half on drug charges, and seized 234 firearms – three war weapons, 112 registered guns, 97 unregistered guns and 22 improvised guns.
But Pol Maj Gen Kamronwit expressed displeasure with the results and said that they should have found more guns, considering the size of Bangkok.
He said stations around the city will intensify their searches for weapons and drugs by using X-ray vans in entertainment areas and parking lots.
Bangkok police tested out X-ray vans in the Ratchada area recently, as reported by Coconuts Bangkok, but failed to catch any suspects, most likely because they publicly announced the checkpoint.
