And so it was last weekend, with the Metropolitan Police Bureau chief showing up to inspect the Fortune Town shopping mall in Din Daeng after a small fire.

His prescription for city police is for them to be “proactive and speedy in probing and closing cases, willing and able to perform duties immediately”.

This outlook has led to Sanit being spotted at most crime or disaster scenes in Bangkok, as well as in nearby provinces if there is a link to cases in the capital.

Nor does he shy away from talking to the media. News photos portray him trying to get on top of many investigations – be it a “talk of town” case on social media, like a senior official being censured for smacking a waiter who called him a “sugar daddy”, or a nasty murder, a traffic snarl or simply a student brawl.

One image still lingering in many people’s memories is of Sanit leading officers to pose for the camera in a heart-shaped arch pose, waving an “I love you” hand sign to urge students to love one another during a press conference last July. The conference followed the arrest of two technical college students on charges of killing a rival youth.

Sanit often attends at least four events in a single day and is generous in giving good quotes, leading journalists to give him the “dashing to every scene” nickname.

A graduate from the Police Cadet Academy Class 34, Sanit is said to be an interrogation expert who covers all the angles when seeking evidence, so it is no surprise that he is keen to take a hands-on approach at the scene of the crime. Named as acting city police chief in October 2015, Sanit proved himself and was officially appointed to the post 10 months later.

“I want to see people love policemen. Police investigations in cases must be thorough to ensure justice and so the bad guys don’t walk free,” he said.

But Sanit has also faced controversy. The Ombudsman’s Office recently ended its investigation of allegations that he earns Bt50,000 a month as an adviser to Thailand’s biggest producer of alcoholic drinks, Thai Beverage, after deciding there was insufficient evidence to proceed with the case.

Following an uncharacteristically long pause, Sanit told the office that there had been a mistake on his asset declaration after he was named as a new member of the National Legislative Assembly, adding he had asked someone else to handle the matter for him. Meanwhile, a letter from ThaiBev to the Ombudsman said the company had not hired Sanit as an adviser.

The Ombudsman’s Office sent a notice to Sanit, warning him to be more careful in the future, adding that he must set a good example for others or his ethics could be called into question.