Wongkot will be responsible for crime suppression and preventive measures, a new position created to cope with modern police operations, acting national police chief Seripisut Temiyavej said after a Police Commission meeting yesterday morning.

The previous job was solely crime suppression.

The responsibilities of the four other deputies are interrogation and legal affairs, special affairs, internal security and administration.

All lieutenant-generals with a C-9 equivalent to civil servants would soon be promoted to be assistants to the police chief and given assignments, Seripisut said.

There are around 50,000 positions still open in the Royal Thai Police, especially for those in non-commissioned ranks stationed in the three violence-plagued southern provinces, and female officers needed for crowd-control tasks.

In the near future, the minimal degree for a police constable would be increased to elementary college diploma instead of a high-school degree.

Those with a bachelor's or master's degree would need to start off as non-com officers, but with rapid promotion of one rank in one year.