Drugs in Thailand: Assessing Police Attitudes

Abstract

This article examines the attitudes of Thai police regarding illegal drugs in the following areas: (a) drug-crime connections, (b) drug enforcement, (c) drug-related corruption, and (d) the seriousness of the drug problem The authors explore the effects of 16 independent variables on officers' attitudes derived from personal background indicators, institutional support measures, and drug offense information variables. Using data collected from a survey of 672 Thai police officers, they employ ordinary least squares regression and find that officers view drug enforcement as important, believe that drugs are linked to crime, and think that drugs are related to corruption. However, officers perceive poverty, unemployment, and the crimes of murder, burglary, and vehicle theft as more serious than drugs. The article concludes that drug enforcement policies must be implemented to avoid police corruption, and it calls for more research on the "war on drugs" in Thailand