Thai ‘T-Rex’ cop gives traffic safety lessons

Thai police sargent Tanit Bussabong directs traffic wearing a costume where he appears to ride a T-rex dinosaur outside a school in Nakhon Nayok on June 4, 2018. (AFP) 

NAKHON–A high-fiving Thai traffic cop who shrugs off the heat — and the bemused glances of passers-by — to wear a T-rex costume to work says his prehistoric uniform is teaching kids road safety and convincing parents to obey traffic laws.

Sargent Tanit Bussabong has around 20 different outfits he reserves for traffic duty outside a kindergarten in Nakhon Nayok, a few hours outside Bangkok, including Minnie Mouse and a bear.

But he says the green, furry dinosaur outfit — complete with tiny arms — is “the most popular” with children and their parents.

A year after he first donned the costume, which makes him look as though he is riding a T-rex, Tanit says amused children are learning to trust authority and wait before crossing the road.

“They are happy, so am I,” he told AFP, adding that their “parents are also developing more respect for traffic laws.”