(July 3, 2025) – Chadchart Sittipunt, Governor of Bangkok, has called for the continuation of the ‘Shock the Thieves’ campaign to restore street lighting across the capital.
The Bangkok Governor chaired the 7th meeting of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA)’s heads of departments for 2025 at the Rattanakosin Room, Bangkok City Hall (Sao Chingcha), Phra Nakhon district.
Chadchart reiterated his administration’s commitment to the Shock the Thieves operation, a joint initiative between the BMA, the Metropolitan Police Bureau, and the Department of Provincial Administration, launched to seriously address streetlight outages caused by the theft of electrical cables in Bangkok.
He instructed all district offices to inspect second-hand goods shops within their areas, ensure their cooperation, and inform them of the legal consequences of purchasing stolen materials.
A survey conducted across 33 districts (as of July 2, 2025) identified 386 second-hand shops, of which 376 were licensed and 10 were unlicensed. No violations involving the purchase of stolen electric cables were found during the inspection.
To counteract the issue, the Depaฃฃฃ Public Works has implemented urgent short-term measures by installing overhead cables along 21 routes where theft has been reported. Nineteen routes have already been completed, while work is ongoing on the remaining two routes – Srinakarin and Phraya Suren Roads.
A new cable theft incident occurred on June 25, 2025, on Arun Amarin Road. The Department of Public Works filed a report with Bang Yi Khan Police Station and is carrying out urgent repairs, expected to be completed by Friday (July 4).
Chadchart emphasised the need for continued, serious efforts from all relevant agencies. He also proposed the introduction of a cash reward system for information leading to the arrest of cable thieves and urged the public to act as vigilant observers.
Citizens who witness suspicious activities are encouraged to report incidents via the Traffy Fondue platform, by calling 191, or by contacting their local police stations.
