Phuket Governor Udomsak Uswarangkura met senior police staff on Wednesday and asked Phuket provincial police commander Maj-General Decha Budnampetch to increase patrols.

"[Police] officers should be ready and on the streets so when a crime is reported they can respond quickly," Udomsak said.

He identified Saphan Hin, Rang Hill and Suan Luang Park in Phuket City as heavy crime areas and places popular with the public.

He worried that petty crime and firearms offences were on the rise.

"If [police] find a person with a gun, they need to double check that the person has a licence

to own that gun, and whether they are police officers or not," he said.

Decha acknowledged that crime was on the rise but added the force was understaffed. "We have about 1,000 police officers, but there are so many residents and tourists that we are overworked every day," he said.

He added that police often received reports up to five hours after a crime had occurred and that most thefts were being committed by under-18s.

The law did not provide for stiff penalties for youths.

Decha confirmed he had approved 30 police officers for transfer after they complained of being overworked.

He asked the governor for stricter controls on people using police-band radios.

"Many gangs have walkie-talkies and listen to the police frequency, so they know what

we are doing. Many times we have not been able to catch the criminals because they have had the time to run away," Decha said.