Commissioner of Police Clifton Hicken wants members of the public to go directly to him if they have issues with other ranks of the Guyana Police Force, or believe that their reports are being unfairly handled.

Speaking during the Government produced “Safeguarding the Nation” programme, Mr. Hicken said the Police Force has an open-door policy, noting that there are still challenges within the system where citizens feel that their matters were unjustly handled by the Force. Against this backdrop, he wants the Force to be seen as a transparent organization that deals with the concerns of citizens in a satisfactory manner.

“No police is above the law and similarly, no civilian is above the law, we have the Commissioner of Police you can come to me, or you have the divisional branch commanders you can go to them, because now we have an open-door policy. Everybody must access the public and the public must access the police at their levels, very importantly for us we have the police complaints authority that deals with when members of the public but more importantly the office of Professional responsibility, but if all the other failure just stick with me come to Commissioner, I will ensure that the matter is resolved,” Mr. Hicken stated.

The Police Commissioner said citizens must embrace the Guyana Police Force through its various changes, explaining that despite its shortcomings, the Force remains the first line of defence for many citizens.

“So, I am saying now to Guyanese people, embrace the force we are doing everything we can do, we are developing capacity based on what is offered to us through the budget and we are putting all the systems in place to create a friendly atmosphere with members of the public, there should be no barriers to communication between the Guyana Police Force and the Public,” Mr. Hicken noted.

The Commissioner said the Police Force has been forging ahead with reforms, with the decentralization of Police related services in the various regions being a key part of that reform.

He said the Force will continue its fight against crime and noted that serious crimes in the country have been on the decline.

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