Dubbed by media as "the crime buster of Bangkok", Pol Maj Gen Sompong Chingduang has been put in charge of the Border Patrol Police (BPP).
BPP has to ensure security along the national border.
A former deputy Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) commissioner, Pol Maj Gen Sompong, 55, took over the post of the BPP chief early this month and he will soon be promoted to a police lieutenant general.
He is the first outsider of BPP in the past decade to grab the top post. His promotion has not invited any opposition from staff at the BPP, sources say.
Compared to other security units, the 67-year-old BPP is a low-profile agency.
So the arrival of famous new boss has raised expectations. The famous crime buster is likely to bring changes and inject new energy to the agency's operations, particularly in the deep South.
Despite being an outsider, not a luk mor, his experiences and achievements warrant expectation. Luk mor is a Thai term referring to someone who has stayed for a long time with a single organisation or division and knows its inner workings intimately.
InquiryLines, published bi-weekly on Mondays is a Bangkok Post column to present in-depth details of a range of issues from politics and social interest to eye-catching everyday lives.
During his time at MPB, he displayed unflinching courage in combatting crime.
He shot to fame in 2001 when he served as deputy chief of the 2nd sub-division under the Crime Suppression Division (CSD).
Pol Maj Gen Sompong led a team of commandos to arrest then army major Chalermchai Matchaklam in connection with the 2001 gruesome murder of Preena Leepattanapan, the then governor of Yasothon.
Chalermchai was convicted for the murder and sent to jail. He was later stripped of his military rank.
Pol Maj Gen Sompong was then moved from the CSD to become a personal aide to then national police chief Kowit Wattana.
Pol Gen Kowit assigned him to inspect the work of police officers in "red zones" which were most prone to violence in the far South.
This gave Pol Maj Gen Sompong exposure to border issues for the first time.
Then he went on to become the chief of the CSD's 5th sub-division which oversees 14 provinces in the South where he was responsible for solving several high-profile crime cases.
In an unexpected twist of fate, when Pol Gen Sereepisuth Temeeyaves succeeded Pol Gen Kowit as police chief, he transferred Pol Maj Gen Sompong to be a district police chief in Yi-ngo district of Narathiwat.
Unfazed by the demotion, he just kept on working.
The crime buster from big cities finally won the hearts and acceptance from local people.
He was then promoted to be a Narathiwat deputy police chief.
The position gave him chances to work closer with soldiers and he befriended local villagers, especially those in Muslim communities.
From his southern post, he was shifted to be deputy commander of the Special Branch's 3rd division Bangkok briefly before being sent to the North.
This time, he was sent to border Mae Hong Son province, where he served as the provincial police commander and was promoted as a police major general.
He later took up several posts such as commander of a police crowd control unit, the deputy commissioner of the Provincial Police Region 5 which oversees the upper North, the deputy commissioner of the Royal Thai Police (RTP) Narcotics Suppression Bureau and the deputy MPB commissioner.
At BPP, he plans to bring a wealth of experience and knowledge in criminal investigation to upscale narcotic and contraband smuggling which is a major problem along borders.
"I am new to the border patrol police job," Pol Maj Gen Sompong said.
"But I have lived in Narathiwat, Yala, and Pattani for almost five years. I realised that the situation there is delicate. It is necessary to build trust and understanding with local people.
"We also need to work with other agencies as a team rather than trying to steal the show. It is also important to get local people involved."
Recently, he ordered staff members from the BPP's four regional branches to receive training on crime inspection technology. The training starts next month.
He said officials need to learn more about new technology to keep pace with smugglers and insurgents.
The southern provinces' borders have always been a major challenge to police. Part of the problem has been a lack of manpower.
In the past BPP has solved problems by deploying officials from other regions to help. However, these reinforcements are not familiar with the area and they tend to be easy targets of insurgent attacks, Pol Maj Gen Sompong said.
"The southern border provinces should have enough border patrol police officers stationed on a permanent basis, with a clear schedule of holidays and working shifts to ease work-related stress."
He said he has raised the manpower issue with Rear Admiral Somkiat Ponprayoon, deputy secretary-general of the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPAC).
The BPP will also seek budgets from the RTP to buy new weapons for border patrol police in the deep South, he added.
He also focused on border patrol police schools, to provide education for children in remote areas.
Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn has paid close attention to the schools and given advice on how to improve the quality of education and teachers, Pol Maj Gen Sompong said.
"Border patrol police are unsung heroes," he said.
"They work hard along the border or in treacherous conditions. Sometimes, they receive little media publicity, but their hard work is recognised by local people.
"I try to bring my experience in criminal investigation to improve the efficiency of the Border Patrol Police."
