Public can have say on police reform bill

Secretary-general Phornthip Jala said comments were still welcome on the reform bill, which has been strongly criticised by police.

"The views will be taken into account by the council's legal advisers," she said.

The draft bill as amended by the council, which is the government's legal advisory arm, could have been very much different from the original version pushed by the government, she

said.

Meanwhile the Police Officers' Association (POA) issued an open statement urging Assumption University's Abac Poll Research Centre to practice professionalism in conducting future opinion polls regarding police performance.

A recent Abac poll found 72 per cent of respondents complaining about extortion and demands to pay bribes by police.

Another Abac poll commissioned by the National Police showed that only

10 per cent of 788 complainants and 1,137 criminal suspects surveyed said police had demanded they pay bribes.

The association also said another Abac poll paid for by the Civil Service Commission found that the National Police came third in a performance ranking among many government agencies.

"Opinion polls may be based on different criteria, which may give very different results. The POA would like the Abac Poll Research Centre to always show its academic responsibility by always publishing the criteria used in every poll it conducts," the statement said.