Pattaya sets up safety zones to reduce crime rates

In the wake of increased crime rates in Pattaya district of Chonburi province, local police are pushing ahead with their plan to set up a safety zone project in the beach area and the Walking Street. . The Chonburi Governor and the Pattaya Mayor will together preside over the project opening ceremony at the Walking Street tomorrow, during which the safety zone project will be officially unveiled. According to Superintendent of Pattaya police station Pol Col Thammanoon Mankong, the scheme is to provide tourists from around the globe who visit Pattaya each year with a greater sense of safety. He elaborated that a police patrol unit will be assigned to the safety zone on a 24-hour basis. In a bid to reduce crime, the district police will set up police checkpoints, widen participation from tourist police units and other related agencies, enlist further cooperation of local communities and business operators, as well as monitor footage captured by CCTV cameras installed throughout Pattaya. Pol Col Thammanoon said that by giving priority to tourist safety, the number of tourist arrivals will eventually be boosted, generating more tourism revenue for local businesses and for Thailand as a whole. From centerweb