Thailand’s Tourist Police are expanding the 1155 emergency service as part of a nationwide upgrade that includes artificial intelligence, facial recognition, vehicle registration scanning and drone patrols.
Tourist Police Commissioner Pol Lt Gen Saksira Pueak-am said on 6 August that the Tourist Police 1155 service had been developed into a fully digital platform operating 24 hours a day, with support available in eight foreign languages.
The Thailand Tourist Police application has also been expanded, allowing tourists to request assistance and send their location, messages, photographs and other information directly to officers.
The changes form part of a plan to move Tourist Police operations from mainly responding to incidents towards more proactive monitoring and crime prevention in tourism areas.
AI and vehicle recognition added to Tourist Police system
The Tourist Police Bureau has developed CCOC Mobile vehicles that can operate as mobile command centres in tourism areas, at major events and in locations considered to be at higher risk.
Each vehicle is equipped with four CCTV cameras, including front and rear cameras and two mobile units that can be positioned in areas requiring additional surveillance.
According to the bureau, the AI camera system can screen facial images and read vehicle registration plates before comparing the information with relevant databases.
If the system detects a person or vehicle matching specified criteria, officers receive an alert and can carry out further checks.
Police said the technology has so far contributed to the arrest of 914 suspects.
The Tourist Police are also developing rapid-response units supported by four drones capable of automatic patrols and day and night surveillance using thermal imaging cameras.
The drones can be used to search for missing people, assess potentially dangerous areas and support officers responding to incidents involving tourists.
Pol Lt Gen Saksira said the Tourist Police Command Centre would bring information from different systems together to help officers respond more quickly and make better-informed decisions.
“The Tourist Police are the first friends of tourists and play an important role in building confidence in Thailand,” he said.