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Monday, September 27, 1999
Police say burglary detection rates up sharply
PHUKET TOWN: Police detection rates in burglary offences have
risen significantly this year compared with the previous two years,
latest statistics from Phuket Town Police Station show.
In 1997, police received 372 reports of burglary, and made arrests
in 258 of them, a detection rate of 69%. Last year there were
401 reported burglaries, of which 282, or 70%, were solved.
This year, up to August 31, there were 194 burglary cases, with
159 arrests, a detection rate of 82%.
Pol Col Chalit Thintanee, superintendent of Phuket Town Police
Station, told the Gazette that most of the burglaries involved
homes rather than commercial premises, and most were committed
during daylight hours. This, he said, was because current economic
conditions mean that, in many households, everyone is working,
leaving homes empty during the day.
He added that most of the suspects who have been arrested were
from outside Phuket, attracted by the island’s reputation
as Thailand’s richest province.
About 20 two-man police patrols cover the town at night, Pol Col
Chalit said. But, he added, "people must help the police.
Please check your house before you leave, to make sure it is locked
up securely. Phuket is not as safe as it used to be."
He advised anyone living in an area with an unusually high rate
of burglaries to request the police to consider installing a red
police reporting box next to their home. Police patrols check
these areas at least once during the day and once at night.
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