By Praj Kiatpongsan
Bangkok’s Metropolitan Police Bureau has set up a monthly rice prize to motivate officers, after it was deemed that giving cash would lead to too many drunken policemen.
Each month the bureau will give out 30 five-kilogram bags of high grade jasmine rice to winning teams of officers that solve big cases, Khaosod reported. The heads of each team will then be able to distribute the rice among individual members based on their roles.
“I previously thought the bureau should give money, but many critics said the award-winning police may spend it all carelessly on alcohol. So I gave them rice instead,” said Pol Lt Gen Winai Thongsong, chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, who presided over the first ceremony on March 8.
This month there were 39 high profile cases announced and 1,950 sacks of rice handed out totaling 5,850 kilograms to both commissioned and non-commissioned police officers. The prize receivers were said to be those who sacrificed the most time and effort in the fight against most wanted criminals.
“I will hold the ceremony every month before the board meeting. Over time, we will see only a certain number of police who can come pick up the rice month after month and they will be considered far more seriously during the annual promotion and demotion period than those who never come”, said the 55-year-old chief, urging police at all stations and divisions to contribute more to the society’s peace and security.
The rice concept has also been praised by several local newspapers. The Daily News called it “chic idea” whileManager Online wrote that it was an “excellent idea compelling police to catch more thieves”.
So at the end of the day – in a country that has over 9 million hectares of rice-growing areas and that exports up to 10 million tons of rice a year – cops will be judged by how many sacks of rice they receive each month.
