Abac Poll director Noppadol Kannikar said the survey - conducted from January 1 to 17 by polling 3,839 members of the public and 995 police officers nationwide - found that 69.1 per cent of the public said they agreed with decentralising power from the Royal Thai Police to the regions. About 82.9 per cent of police officers and 46.4 per cent of the public did not agree with the idea to have someone outside the force holding the post of national police chief. About 58 per cent of the public did not know about the policy and a third said they had, while 44 per cent of police officers said they knew the details and 42.3 per cent said they heard about it but could not recall the details.

   Most policemen polled (77.6 per cent) said people saw the police in too negative a light, while 75.8 per cent said people expected the police to do more than they were capable of.

   Nearly all officers (93.2 per cent) listed the lack of modern and effective tools as the number one problem in police work, followed by insufficient budget, unrealistic budget allocation and an unrealistically low salary compared to expenses.

   Most public members (86.3 per cent) said they believed the new generation of policemen did not bow to politicians and influential figures, while 82.5 per cent said the police institution must be improved so that police would carry on their duties without discrimination.