Pol. Lt. Gen. Amnuay Nimmano, former member of the committee drafting the National Police Act, outlined the criteria for appointing the national police chief. He emphasized clearly that “seniority” is the key principle explicitly set by law and is the safest standard. Meanwhile, the criterion measuring “knowledge and ability” still lacks concrete indicators. He stated that if a candidate with less seniority is appointed as police chief, the appointing authority must provide clear reasons and information to the public.
On 16 June 2026, Pol. Lt. Gen. Amnuay Nimmano, member of the special committee reviewing the draft National Police Act, discussed the criteria for appointing the police chief. He said this topic has been debated multiple times. The current National Police Act has been in effect since 17 Oct 2022. He was part of the committee drafting this act, which is the version currently in use.
At the first meeting, the participants unanimously resolved to draft the National Police Act to address two main concerns: the public's hardships, which involve many issues, and the difficulties faced by police officers, such as welfare, harassment, unfair appointments, and lack of clear criteria. The meeting agreed clearly to codify the criteria for police appointments within the act to prevent arbitrary discretion. The act therefore emphasizes two main principles: seniority and knowledge and ability.
Looking into the National Police Act's text, the seniority criteria are very clearly written in Section 82. It stipulates that police officers at various levels have their seniority defined, with ranking from sub-inspector to deputy provincial police chief arranged by seniority at no less than 33%. For ranks from provincial police chief to regional police chief, seniority ranking must be no less than 50%. For assistant police chief to deputy police chief, seniority ranking must be 100%.
Therefore, for the police chief position, seniority ranking is 1000%. This principle is firmly upheld and clearly written to prevent leapfrogging by juniors over seniors, avoiding cases where those less senior bypass those with much greater seniority.
This criterion can be clearly defined because seniority calculation follows a principle of who held which position first and for how many years, ranked sequentially to determine the winner. Thus, seniority cannot be criticized or disputed and is the safest principle. Past police chief appointments have been criticized and sometimes litigated. The first criterion in appointing the police chief is that the appointment must come from deputy police chief or national police inspector general candidates, as per Section 77 Paragraph 1. The prime minister selects from these officers considering both seniority and knowledge and ability, especially experience in investigation or crime suppression, then proposes to the police commission for approval before submitting to the king.
In summary, the final decision rests with the prime minister, as originally drafted in the National Police Act. During drafting, Pol. Lt. Gen. Amnuay proposed that since the main mission of the national police is crime prevention, investigation, and criminal justice, the police chief candidate should have experience in these areas. The meeting unanimously agreed to include this point, although it does not mean the police chief must have directly managed these duties while deputy police chief.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Amnuay said that when writing important criteria, they are placed first. The appointment criteria for police chief focus on seniority and knowledge and ability, which are the main standards. However, the knowledge and ability criterion is peculiar because there is still no clear standard for how to evaluate it. The National Police Act does not define this term directly, but Section 82 Paragraph 2 suggests evaluating service history, which is straightforward by reviewing past records and performance. However, it becomes complicated if criteria are not codified, especially for candidates from different career tracks. Therefore, clear criteria must be established from the start. Regarding conduct, this is measurable through evaluations and public satisfaction with police services, but this has not yet been implemented.
Thus, regarding knowledge and ability, there remains uncertainty with no clear, tangible criteria. We must return to the first, foundational, and tangible principle: seniority. Therefore, the least problematic police chief appointment is one that prioritizes seniority. Ultimately, the prime minister decides whom to appoint, but according to the law's text and intent, if a less senior officer is chosen, the reasons and information must be clearly explained, detailing why that individual is more suitable than others with greater seniority. A police chief candidate must have comprehensive knowledge across all roles.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Amnuay said this National Police Act has been in use for four years, but many subordinate laws, criteria, conditions, and rules needed to properly implement the act remain incomplete. This causes problems in fully applying the act. For example, appointment criteria related to knowledge and ability have yet to be defined in measurable terms. The act is thus not yet fully operational. Appointment criteria that support the law, such as those for knowledge and ability, have not been established. Decisions still rely on subjective impressions of who is more capable without clear standards, which he considers dangerous. Only seniority has clear criteria.
When asked when the National Police Act will be fully completed and what obstacles remain, the response was that it is still in progress, with the same answer given regardless of the timing of the question.