There have never before been so many eyes watching Patong.

A network of at least 16 CCTV cameras has been installed in the glitter strip, which means police can keep an eye on everything that happens there.

As well as the cameras, Pol. Col. Kritsak Songmulnak and his officers of the Royal Thai Police, keep a watchful eye on Bangla Road and frequently patrol the area.

Then there are the 29 regular tourist police who also patrol the road of bars, breaking up fights and generally keeping the crowds well behaved.

Every night, at least two, and sometimes as many as seven, Tourist Police foreign volunteers are out on the beat in Patong.

Patrick Legrain, the vice president of the Tourist Police Department?s foreign volunteers, said his 26 officers were an elite force of multi-lingual men and women dedicated to ensuring the safety and all-round well being of tourists visiting Phuket.

?We can detain people , but not arrest them,? he said.

?We are there to provide assistance to tourists and to help local business owners settle any disputes.?

Patrick, who speaks seven languages, joined the TPD volunteer service two and half years ago and set about re-vamping what was then a disorganised service.

The retired Parisian physiologist said he was asked to get rid of volunteers who didn?t pull their weight, or who abused their roles.

All new recruits are now thoroughly screened before they are accepted.

They must have a non-immigrant B visa, they must undergo criminal background checks, and they have to survive intensive questioning by Patrick and officers from the Royal Thai Police.

Prospective volunteers are told that if they are joining to boost their egos, or to appear important, they are not wanted.

The volunteers, who are known as the ?A team?, must report for duty a minimum of 10 times within a three month period.

New recruits work a three month probation period during which time their performance is closely scrutinised.

Some of the volunteers have backgrounds in the armed, police and rescue services, but many have no training at all.

Thirteen volunteers recently underwent a ?defence tactical training day? hosted by security specialist, Aaron Le Boutiller.

Aaron has spent the past 12 years defusing violent situations and teaching self defence.

He learned his trade in Jersey, England, where he joined the police force and worked his way through the ranks into the elite Rapid Response Unit, which specialised in high profile arrests where violence was almost guaranteed.

He moved to Thailand in 1993 and trained the Royal Thai Police in Bangkok as well as the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams at their training academy.

Aaron used the same techniques to teach the volunteer tourist police how to deal with the public, their fellow volunteers and themselves in violent situations.

For most of the volunteers, this was their only formal training.

The volunteers were also keen to learn how to deal with drunk or sleeping tourists, and the best handcuffing procedures.

Canadian, Vince, wanted to learn the rules of engagement and appropriate use of force when dealing with drunken aggressors.

A week earlier, he and his partner, Vijay, were called to a bar on Rat-U-Thit Road where a drunken Scottish couple were causing trouble.

Other drinkers said the couple had been swearing and acting abusively the entire evening.

?The heavy set woman was drunk, obnoxious and she kept falling down,? said Vince.

?When we asked her to leave, she raised her fists, and clenched her teeth.

?She was ready to fight.

?We had no choice but to restrain her and her boyfriend, and call the Thai police.

?When the police arrived, the woman threatened them as well, and she and her boyfriend ended up spending the night in the lock up.

?The last thing we want is to detain people, but with this pair, we had no choice but to hand them over to the regular police,? said Vince.

The volunteers always prefer to look for a way to calmly reason with aggressive tourists.

Aaron taught the volunteers how to diffuse such a situation.

?You have to know how to restrain and detain a giant who has 58 Singhas inside him,? he said.

He said it was crucial to understand that a compliant detainee could turn into a violent monster ?in less than a heartbeat?.

He demonstrated a range of ways to render a person incapable of hurting anyone, with thumb locks, folding arm take downs and the ?goose neck? wrist hold.

Patrick said that hitting a police officer, including a tourist police offer, in Thailand is dealt with very harshly.

?Anyone who hits or hurts one of us can be fined tens of thousands of baht, and they can also be jailed,?he said.

The volunteers are authorized to carry taser guns, pepper spray, batons and handcuffs, but they have to pay for them out of their own pockets, and they rarely use them.

The volunteers also have to pay for their own uniforms.

Out on the beat that night, volunteers James, Malika and Ram came across a group of about eight Australian giants who were shaping up for a fight.

Other tourists ran for cover as the six-foot Aussies started shouting and pushing each other around.

Things were starting to look decidedly nasty.

But James, a five foot six Scotsman with decidedly more brains than brawn, didn?t hesitate.

He walked straight up to the ringleader, and tried to calm him down.

Even when the man started playing with James? cap, the volunteer kept his cool and continued to reason with the burly brute.

Within a few minutes, a situation which could have turned into a full-scale brawl, was diffused, and the men who a few minutes earlier were ready to bash each other?s brains out were friends again.

But while James remained calm, he kept his hand poised under the Aussie?s arm, ready to act quickly if he needed to.

?It was simply a case of too many beers which turned into harsh words,? he said.

?It happens all the time.

?I told them to walk away and calm down, and they did,? said James.

?Reserve is key, continual talking and assuring them that you?re on their side is by far the best approach,? said Aaron.

James, who served with the British army in Belfast during the ?troubled? 1970s, said violence was rare on the streets of Patong.

?We resolve most issues with just words,? he said.

?But occasionally there are problem?s with tourists ringing the bar-bells, and then getting angry when they are told they have to pay for everyone?s drinks.

?Our main role is to be a buffer between tourists and the Thai police,? he said.

?We provide information and advice to the tourists, we try to protect them, and we try to resolve any issues without involving the Thai police, which can mean harsh penalties or even jail time for the tourists.?

The volunteers answer to Thailand?s Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Sports and Tourism, both of which regularly send representatives to Phuket to check on them.

The newly appointed Pol Lt Col of Tourist Police, Ekachai Pramanakul, is in charge of the 60 Thai volunteers who operate out of Kata, Karon, Phuket Town, Charntalay and Rawaii as well as the foreign volunteers.

Pol Lt Col Ekachai is full of praise for the foreign volunteers, and he and Pol Col Kritsak regularly call on the volunteers to translate for them.

?We get calls from Kathu police station all the time asking us to act as translators for tourists who have been arrested,? said volunteer Vijay.

?They know we are on call 24 hours a day, and that we are always willing to help them.?

There?s much debate on Phuket?s ex-pat on-line forums over the ?police? status of the Foregn volunteers and what being ?on call? means for these officers.

Questions have been raised by many who would like clearer information outlining powers granted to the foreign volunteers.

Patrick said,? our role is to assist in the overall well-being of tourists visiting Phuket and not with Thai locals?.

?We help because we can, and we want to help Phuket?s tourists.

?We receive no payment for our role, and no perks,? he said.

One thing?s certain, the volunteers are here to stay, and will be on the beat tonight.

For further information visit www.phuket-tourist-police-volunteers.com or call their hotline 1155.