The messages broadcast to 34 communities under its jurisdiction will inform the public about the proper dress code, available means of transport, and cooperation in not carrying valuables or dangerous items to the Grand Palace. The public will also be asked to be vigilant for criminals or suspicious people.
Deputy police spokesman Colonel Krissana Pattanacharoen said national police chief General Chakthip Chaijinda had instructed city police to tell people to not carry valuables to Sanam Luang and the Grand Palace and also placed posters warning people about criminals.
Chakthip had also told Metropolitan Police Area 6 to look into 50 cases of lost items to see if they were stolen or just misplaced, he said. About 3,500 police officers, both plainclothes and uniformed, have been deployed to the area to provide protection and handle traffic, he added.
City police chief Lt-General Sanit Mahathaworn yesterday said a cellphone had been stolen in a tent in Sanam Luang at 9pm the previous night. He said police at eight checkpoints had also seized 158 blades, including both knives and scissors, from people in one day.
He also suggested that Bangkok residents and people in adjacent provinces go to the Grand Palace from 5.30pm to 9pm on weekdays, as the crowd usually lessens after 5.30pm.
Sanit reported that 120,040 mourners had shown up at Sanam Luang on Wednesday, including 5,249 tourists, while as many as 14,020 people had required first-aid treatments mostly due to fainting and cramps, 15 of whom were transferred to hospitals.