in 1932 was Luang Adul Detjarat, one of director after the c the leading army men who took part in coup. After the of 1947, General Pharo Sriyanon, one of the leading members the coup group was appointed deputy director of police so that this would enable the government to arrest anyone who has no faith in it' The minister of interior at the time objected to this appointment but to no avail. Later General Phao was promoted director of the police. While he held this post, 'many police tactics were used lto eliminate political rivals The wives of offenders arrested to force the husband to relent. Mysterious deaths o political prisoners under official arrest were common 12 In 1957 Sarit again selected the police director, Prasert Ruchirawong, from the ranks of the military. In addition, the police department fell under the minister of interior who was regularly chosen from among the leading political generals During the period of the Cold War (especially in the 1950s and 1960s), the development of the police department was policies. The police was rejigged as influenced by anti-communist an organization to suppress communism. Foreign aid money was poured into the police department in order to equip it with modern technology to deal with insurgency The police department was boosted so much so that it was called the Fourth Army'. General Phao Sriyanon, the most notorious director of the police at this time, created a squad of special aides known as win waen phet (knights of the diamond r who basical acted as his private hit men The increase in the power of the police also increased their role as a predatory force. Corruption among the police was at its height after 1947. Police in high positions were involved levels of the drug trade. 4 Some senior police officers were involved in the monopoly of the pig slaughtering business They used their position to make money from protection rackets various types, to siphon government funds into pr investment, and to receive nominal from companies. also sold land and goods at exorbitant prices to the police department. When General Praphat Charusathian was minister of interior in overall charge of the police department, there we many incidents involving corruption within the police