CRIME JUSTICE MINISTRY
Report shows Bangkok thieves normally strike after midnight
Bangkok's criminals prefer to strike between midnight and 6am if they have an acquisitive eye on your valuables. A study commissioned by the Justice Ministry also shows that women aged about 41 living in conditions that allow no privacy are most at risk of being robbed.
The researchers had in-depth interviews last year with 1,531 Bangkok residents who were victims of crime, the Office of Justice Affairs said.
While most, 85%, were robbed only once, a few reported as many as four thefts during the year.
And most disturbingly, about 63% of the victims said they did not report the crime to police.
While crimes targeting victims' valuables were most likely to occur after midnight, death, serious injury or sexual abuse was most common between 6pm and midnight.
Fraudsters, on the other hand, tend to prefer daylight, most frequently forging or copying victims' information and documents between 6am and 6pm.
The study team, led by Assoc Prof Kamolthip Khatikarn and Assist Prof Jutharat Ua-amnuay of Chulalongkorn University's political science faculty, also identified the characteristics of people most vulnerable to robbery _ married women aged about 41 with an education no higher than primary school level. Those women were likely to be low-income earners running small businesses and living in accommodation where they did not have private living quarters.
At the same time, most of the criminals were male, aged 18 to 25 years.
While some preferred to operate alone, many worked with associates. More than half of the victims did not know the culprits.
When there was more than one villain, most victims were unable to recognise more than one.
Wisit Wisitsora-at, director of the Office of Justice Affairs, said he expected this kind of study of crime patterns would lead to the development of national crime rate statistics. This would help police better plan their crime prevention effort.
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