Why a financial initiative by the CSD is proving unpopular with officers,
Lamphai Intathep AND Wassayos Ngamkham
A project by the Crime Suppression Division (CSD) to reduce debts among its staff is proving a worry for some employees.
Every CSD officer is supposed to record their financial income and expenditure each month in a personal balance book provided by the agency.
The idea is to increase their awareness of their financial status so as to encourage them to be more cautious in their spending.
The project is the brainchild of CSD commander Pongpat Chayaphan.
He encourages staff to participate by offering prizes to those who demonstrate through their bookkeeping that they use their income wisely and stay out of debt.
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| Pol Snr Sgt-Maj Nong Niemsungnoen displays his personal balance book. The 48-year-old policeman says it is pointless to write down his monthly spending and earnings in the book as he has done it before and still spends more than he earns. |
Making them aware of how much money they have to manage could help them steer clear of borrowing from banks or loan sharks, which can later affect both their personal and professional lives, said Pol Maj-Gen Pongpat.
"I want the police to spend less and save more," he added.
But despite generally agreeing to the idea in principle, not all officers are comfortable with divulging their financial records.
Nong Niemsungnoen has worked for almost 30 years and now has a salary of 25,000 baht.
He agrees with the strategy and believes it will help reduce unnecessary spending, but the 48-year-old contends that he already keeps track of his money, so for him the project is pointless.
"Each month I spend more than I earn," admitted Pol Snr Sgt-Maj Nong, who has a wife and an 11-year-old daughter to take care of.
He is obliged to pay 12,000 baht a month off a 300,000-baht loan for his land for four more years. The rest must cover living expenses for his family, including education.
Although his wife runs a small business selling fertiliser and flower pots to help support the family, Pol Snr Sgt-Maj Nong admits that some months the family is short of money, forcing him to borrow money from loan sharks, which his wife is unaware of.
If everything is recorded in the book, he says his wife would discover his secret.
"I don't want my wife to worry about it. If she finds out, it will cause trouble between us," he said.
"All police officers work hard and do overtime for which they do not get paid, so we don't have enough time to record our financial activities every day."
He summed up the situation by saying: "Many people believe that policemen earn a lot of money.
"But like most other people, police officers have their families to look after. At the end of the month, most of our salary is used up."
A police colonel said he does not feel comfortable writing down his earnings and spendings.
He said that recording his monthly expenditure would not help him to better manage his money.
"Each month I earn some money but cannot say where it comes from," he said.
"And some of my money is spent on just hanging out at night with friends."
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