Thai police may wear short sleeves to save energy: official

Thailand may allow its police officers to cool off by wearing a new short-sleeve uniform, a move they hope will also help save energy at police stations, a spokesman said Saturday.

Thai police currently have only a brown, torso-hugging long-sleeve uniform that they wear even while directing traffic in Bangkok's
sweltering heat.

National police chief Sereepisut Taemeeyaves has proposed a new lighter-weight khaki uniform that would have short sleeves to make it cooler for police on the street, spokesman Pongsapat Pongcharoen said.

Sereepisut also hopes the change would help police save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging officers to turn down air conditioners at police stations, Pongsapat added.

"We have discussed changing to a new police uniform for a long time, to find something more relaxed and suited to our climate," he said.

Approving a new uniform is a complicated and lengthy process, and will require the police commission to seek a change to the laws regulating the force, Pongsapat added.

上周六，泰国警方一名发言人对外公布，泰国警察也许不久就能换上清凉的短袖制服了，泰国政府希望此举还能帮助警察局节省能源。

目前，泰国警察只有一套棕色的长袖紧身制服，就算炎炎烈日下在曼谷街头指挥交通，他们也得穿着这身行头。

据发言人彭萨帕特•彭查罗恩介绍，泰国国家警察局长舍里披素•德米亚威提议将目前的警察制服换成更为轻便的短袖卡其布制服，这样在街头执勤的警察就能凉快得多了。

据介绍，舍里披素警长还希望此举能减少警局办公室内空调的使用，以节省能源和减少温室气体的排放。

彭萨帕特说：“关于警察换装的问题，我们已经讨论了很长时间。我们想找到一种既穿着轻便、又适合泰国气候的服装。”

他说，新制服的审批要经过一个复杂而漫长的过程，而且还需要警察委员会对相关法律做出相应的修改。