PHUKET, THAILAND – Authorities on the resort island launched a large-scale surveillance and control program aimed at traffic offenders, rental operators and potential criminal suspects.
Island-wide CCTV network completed
Police commander Pol. Maj. Gen. Sinlert Sukhum said authorities had completed the installation and upgrading of 503 CCTV cameras across the island. The system included fixed cameras, swivelling units, live-stream devices and cameras linked via communication systems to cover high-risk areas without gaps.
The network formed the backbone of the “Phuket Eyes” project, which was designed to strengthen crime prevention and increase the sense of security among residents and visitors.
‘Phuket Eyes – Phase 2’ to add AI tools
In the next step, authorities planned to launch “Phuket Eyes – Phase 2”, expanding the surveillance system with artificial intelligence. The upgrade was to include facial recognition, analysis of clothing and vehicles, and direct database connections to track suspects and vehicles in real time.
Databases already contained information on more than 10,000 people, according to police information. The private sector was also to be involved, with companies encouraged to feed their own cameras into the shared monitoring network.
“The participation of business operators is expressly desired.”
said police sources.
Pressure on rental businesses and foreign users
In recent months, a key focus had been action against rental businesses and foreign users of rental vehicles. According to the police, more than 4,400 rental companies had been targeted.
In over 3,700 cases fines were imposed, and 1,700 vehicles were seized for inspection. The authorities stressed they were acting against both renters and operators in order to ensure fairness.
Tax compliance checks with Revenue Department
Investigators worked in parallel with the Revenue Department to ensure that rental businesses complied with applicable tax regulations. This cooperation was part of the broader enforcement campaign on the island.
Russians led traffic fine statistics
In road traffic, officials reported clear differences between nationalities. Over the past year, Russian road users – drivers of motorcycles and cars – were the group with the highest number of fines for traffic offences, with 11,855 cases recorded.
They were followed by Thais with 2,745 fines, Chinese nationals with 1,841, Britons with 1,491, French citizens with 1,442, Indians with 1,134 and citizens from Myanmar with 825 cases.
Part of wider safety and enforcement strategy
Police stated that the measures were part of a comprehensive strategy to increase road safety, curb illegal rental structures and identify offenders more quickly. The program was also intended to strengthen cooperation between police, government agencies and the private sector.