National police chief, Pol Gen Damrongsak Kittiprapas, has ordered Provincial Police Region 7 to investigate every “policemen” who appeared in a popular video on YouTube recently, said Royal Thai Police spokesman, Pol Lt Gen Archayon Kraithong.
The clip was made by a content creator going by the name MyMateNate, who claimed he hired 50 policemen from a commando unit to “chase” him for a stunt in an abandoned building in Kanchanaburi.
The video caused a stir among netizens who debated whether or not the content was appropriate.
Pol Lt Gen Archayon said the national police chief had ordered Region 7 Police commissioner, Pol Lt Gen Thanayut Wutthijarathamrong, and Kanchanaburi police chief, Pol Maj Gen Pairoj Khumpai, to look into whether or not the “policemen” featured in the video were actual officers.
If they are indeed active officers, they must have permission from their commanders to make a media appearance and bear arms in public.
If the men turned out not to be actual officers, then they face between three months to five years imprisonment for impersonating a police officer, a violation of Section 152 of the National Police Act.
Pol Lt Gen Archayon also said that any content creator who wants to film any police-related content must submit a request which describes the content in detail, as well as the uniform that will be used at least five days before filming.
“We would like every content creator to request permission before filming any police-related content as a sign of respect for our profession,” he said.