Don’t forsake the poor for the rich during police duties- Hicken

Deputy Commissioner (ag) Clifton Hicken 

Deputy Commissioner Operations (ag) Clifton Hicken has called on members of the Guyana Police Force to ensure there is a level playing field when dealing with members of the public be it on the road or at police stations.

Hicken made the call during an outreach in Diamond recently where he addressed a gathering of residents and some police officers. He also issued a warning to persons who are considered wealthy or are factually wealthy and have to engage the police from time to time.

“You cannot be wrong and because you are wealthy you play strong, the Guyana Police Force is clear in its mandate. We are dealing with the citizens of the country, we are not dealing with the rich and forsaking the poor” Hicken reminded.

The senior officer also stressed that there needs to be professionalism across the board and this must continue to prevail.

“There must be no expediting of a certain class. So if there is a document that needs to be processed, the same document that has to be processed for somebody who is rich must take the same time to be processed for somebody who is poor. If we create a class society in the Guyana Police Force, we are not going to win back the trust of the people” Hicken cautioned.

It was at the very meeting that Hicken told the residents of Diamond that going forward, they will be seeing more of the officers from their respective police station district in the communities engaging with the residents.

He said that every two weeks, the Divisional Commander would be required to hold a community meeting within his span of control and that once a week the commander and his officers will do walkabouts to have a more hands-on approach to what is taking place within the division.

This would provide an opportunity for the officer and his ranks to also meet with persons who are otherwise not too inclined to visit police stations and its environs.