With a strong leadership emanating from the top cadre of the National Police Department in the person of Pol General, Torsak Sukwimol, an all-inclusive report on the success of an unprecedented operation aimed at tackling the menace of unregistered firearms was spotlighted. The campaign focuses on the eradication of all categories of unlawful weapons, ranging from authentic guns, reformed firearms to blank-shooting guns.
The inception of this spirited campaign was stimulated by a disturbing incident that jolted the city of Bangkok on October 3. A 14-year-old teenager recklessly discharged a modified blank-firing gun, now capable of utilizing real bullets, within the bustling Siam Paragon shopping mall. The aftermath was tragic – two foreigners lay lifeless, and an additional five persons were severely injured before the swift intervention of the local police.
In his detailed elucidation of the operational results which spanned from October 9-11, Torsak disclosed that the dedicated officials had explored 3,224 suspicious terrains all over the country, and had successfully apprehended 1,593 suspects. A staggering 1,789 unregistered blank-firing guns and BB guns were confiscated, alongside 219 firearms illicitly registered under fictitious owner-names. A whopping sum of 75,973 ammunition pieces were also found and secured.
Torsak also highlighted the extra efforts the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau had invested. Going beyond the traditional, they took their search to the digital space, scrutinizing social media platforms and vigorously shutting down accounts with substantial suspicion of illegal gun affiliations. As a result of their thorough investigation, 79 Facebook accounts were closed, along with 14 TikTok and Instagram accounts respectively. Twitter, rebranded as “X”, had the highest numbers – 148 deactivated accounts. Furthermore, 26 YouTube channels were also terminated.
In conclusion, the National Police, under the capable leadership of General Torsak Sukwimol, are making every effort to ensure that incidents like those that took place in Siam Paragon never happen again. The protection of the public safety remains their utmost priority, and they won’t rest on their laurels until the menace of illegal firearms has been completely eradicated.
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