The Office of the Judiciary has appointed the first director of a new agency that will be established to police court premises nationwide.
Surapong: In charge of 1,700 marshals
Sarawut Benjakul, secretary-general of the Office of the Judiciary, has approved the appointment of Pol Col Surapong Plengkham, a superintendent of the Special Branch's 3rd division, as the director of the court security centre, said Punnapat Mahaleetrakul, chairman of a committee tasked with the selection.
The director will supervise more than 1,700 court marshals nationwide and handle the management of electronic monitoring bracelets for offenders on probation, among other tasks.
Of the 14 applicants screened by the committee, Pol Col Surapong is the only candidate who met all the requirements, Mr Punnapat said.
On Feb 8, the National Legislative Assembly passed a bill to establish a unit of court marshals under the Office of the Judiciary. The court security law is due to take effect 90 days after it is announced in the Royal Gazette.
Suriyan Hongwilai, spokesman for the Courts of Justice, previously said the main purpose of establishing the unit is to improve the efficiency of judicial procedures such as by handling situations that may affect or stall the work of judges, including the tracking of suspects who jump bail.
Currently, security guards ensure safety and order at the courts, he said.
The plan to establish the court marshals unit, along with the granting of greater powers of law enforcement for those doing the work, is a major upgrade on the existing measures, he said.
Under the new law, the marshals have responsibilities and power equivalent to those of administrative officials or police, specified under the Criminal Code.
Section 9 of the law exempts the Courts of Justice from laws regulating weapons to allow the marshals to carry and use weapons for their work.
