Thai police try to punch up force’s flagging public image with ‘Cops Combat’ MMA competition
- The event involved contestants fighting three-minute bouts and using full-contact fighting styles ranging from Thai kickboxing to Japanese jiu-jitsu
- Thai police have long been dogged by a reputation for corruption and brutality
Khaki-clad Thai cops threw bone-crunching right hooks, wrestled and launched devastating sweeping kicks at each other in a brutal tournament on Tuesday aimed at punching up their public image.
The bouts at Bangkok’s Rajadamnern Stadium followed a recent opinion poll that showed only a little more than 10 per cent of the public had confidence in the Royal Thai Police.
So, in an attempt to boost their image, the kingdom’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) summoned 96 of the fiercest officers to fight each other in a full-contact mixed martial arts tournament.
Thailand is known for its traditional kickboxing sport Muay Thai, where fighters use everything from fists to elbows, shins and knees to overcome their opponents.
The “Cops Combat” competition involved contestants fighting in three-minute bouts, using full-contact fighting styles from Thai kickboxing to Japanese Jiu-Jitsu.
Winners get a 5,000 baht (US$136) prize and the honour of subduing “the suspect” – their opponent – Rattawut Jiamsripong, deputy commander of the Police Training Centre and one of the main organisers, said.
