Thailand's Tourist Police add drones, AI patrol vehicles and translation kits in a nationwide safety upgrade

Thailand's Tourist Police are in the middle of a nationwide upgrade of equipment and training. On 12 September 2026 the bureau's commissioner, Lieutenant General Saksira Phueak-um, chaired the closing ceremony of the 21st Tourist Police TASER training course in Phuket. The course belongs to a national programme that will train 1,250 officers, with 450 devices to be issued across the force as an additional option for handling dangerous situations while protecting tourists, the public and officers themselves.

The upgrade goes well beyond that. The Tourist Police Bureau is adding 11 Mobile CCOC vehicles and four microbuses fitted with AI camera systems that can identify faces and track people subject to arrest warrants. It is also receiving 32 Smart Check Point sets, 32 drone patrol vehicles and 128 drones equipped with thermal cameras for patrols, observation and aerial searches by day and by night.

Patrol teams are being issued Smart Patrol kits as well: reflective protective vests, translation devices, digital radios and body-worn cameras. According to the bureau, these are meant to improve communication with visitors and the ability of officers to assist them on the spot.

Tourism and Sports Minister Surasak Phancharoenworakul ordered the wider effort. It combines technology, updated equipment, staff training and cooperation between authorities, businesses and local networks, with the stated aim of raising safety standards and strengthening confidence in Thai tourism. The bureau describes its work with local agencies and the tourism industry as part of a more systematic safety network for both Thai and overseas visitors.

Phuket was chosen for the latest round for a reason. During the visit Tourist Police met tourism-sector representatives, among them Sarayut Mallam, president of the Phuket Tourism Business Association, and Kongsak Kupongkorn, chairman of the Phuket Chamber of Commerce, together with the heads of the Andaman southern provinces chamber group and the Sustainable Tourism Development Foundation. The discussion focused on combining safety measures and visitor assistance in a way suited to the island.

For a visitor, the most practical items on that list are the translation devices and the smart checkpoints. Someone on a rented scooter in Phuket or on a car trip through the south is more likely than a hotel guest to meet a police checkpoint on the road. A shared language and paperwork that is in order turn that stop into a short, polite exchange. Body-worn cameras add transparency on both sides.

This is where the way you rent starts to matter. On Balm Rentals every listing comes from a verified, legally operating rental provider, and the price, deposit and rental conditions are shown in your own language before you pay. The booking and its terms stay in the iOS or Android app, so if an officer asks about the vehicle you have what you need on your phone rather than a slip of paper you cannot read. The marketplace works alongside local rental shops and the safety efforts of the authorities, giving travellers a way to have that clarity from the very first day.

The new equipment is being rolled out across major tourism areas nationwide, so travellers can expect to see more drone patrols and smart checkpoints in the coming high season. The basics do not change: carry a valid driving licence, wear a helmet on a bike, and keep your rental documents at hand.