The new head of the national police, Pol. Gen. Torsak Sukvimol, has resurrected the practice of giving personnel the “Knight’s Ring” in appreciation for a job well done.
On October 17, Pol Gen Torsak presented the Knight’s Ring to Pol Cap Thanamorn Nunat of the Pathumwan station during a ceremony commemorating the founding of the Royal Thai Police at the Royal Police Cadet Academy in Nakhon Pathom’s Sam Phran district.
The ring was given to Pol Cap Thanamorn in honor of his leadership and bravery in handling the shooting incident at the Siam Paragon mall on October 3 and in capturing the perpetrator.
In order to raise the pride and morale of officers who are completely dedicated to their duties, Pol Gen Torsak stated that he wished to resurrect the practice.
“This tradition is intended to honour police for their outstanding performance and contribution to the Royal Thai Police, society and the country,” he stated.
As director-general of the Police Department from 1951 to 1957, Pol Gen Phao Sriyanon originally instituted the Knight’s Ring as a mark of appreciation for law enforcement officers who displayed exemplary bravery in combating crime and made significant contributions to the development of the force.
The police hat symbol is engraved on the gold Knight’s Ring.
The Police Department once belonged to the Interior Ministry. Later, it underwent restructuring and was given the new name Royal Thai Police; it now answers directly to the prime minister.
Before switching to the Police Department, Pol. Gen. Phao began his career as an army officer. There, he advanced through the ranks to become director general.
Four devoted officers received rings from Pol Gen Phao, according to sources, while he was in power.
The recipients had to wear the rings constantly, and according to reports, Pol Gen Phao would take the rings if he found out that any of them weren’t.
As the number of recipients rose, Pol Gen Phao increased the significance of the Knight’s Ring by encrusting new ones with diamonds.
These belonged in the category of Diamond Knight’s Rings. They were designed for police personnel who put their lives at danger while carrying out their responsibilities in dangerous circumstances.
Only 13 people received Diamond Knight’s Rings.
The granting of the Knight’s Ring was put on hold, though, when Pol Gen Phao escaped the nation after the coup in 1957 and went to Switzerland. Later, he perished in exile.
According to Pol Lt Col Krisanaphong Poothakool, assistant president of Rangsit University and an associate professor of criminology, Pol Gen Phao’s close aides have already received the Knight’s Ring.
Since the new national police chief wants to bring back the custom of giving the ring to officers, appropriate standards must be established to guarantee objectivity and impartiality.
Pol Lt Col Krisanaphong stated that the “present circumstances are different from those in the past.”
According to Pol Lt Col Krisanaphong, some of the receivers of the ring were people engaged in covert operations at the time that Pol Gen Phao was notorious for deploying against political opponents of the military administration.
According to Pol. Lt. Col. Krisanaphong, “The awarding of the ring must be fair and transparent in order to boost the morale of decent officers across the country.”
READ MORE https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Thai_Police
FRONT A gold Knight’s Ring is given in recognition of outstanding achievement. (Police photo)
