Guyana Police Force silent on sexual assault allegations against SOCU Head

The Guyana Police Force has chosen to remain silent in wake of another damning sexual assault complaint that has been filed by a female Police Officer against the Head of the Special Organised Crime Unit, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Fizal Karimbaksh.

Although a number of senior Police Officers have confirmed that an official report was made against the high-ranking Police Officer, the Police Force has ignored repeated questions from the media on the report and the allegations contained in the report.

Efforts to contact the SOCU Head for a comment also failed as repeated calls to his number went unanswered.

The female Police Rank has alleged that she was raped and sexually assaulted by the Deputy Commissioner on at least two separate occasions, with one of those incidents allegedly occurring at the Police Headquarters. She also complained of allegedly being threatened by him and having a gun reportedly pointed at her.

The Police officer also reportedly made an official complaint to a senior Government Minister about the alleged incidents.

The formal Police report was filed recently.

There have been previous allegations of a similar nature made against the senior Police Officer. Back in 2021, the Police Service Commission had probed sexual harassment allegations against Mr. Karimbaksh that were initially made in 2020 by two female recruits of the Police training school. He had denied those allegations, and dismissed them as “trumped up”.

The Police Service Commission had blocked him from receiving any promotion at the time, but he moved to the High Court against the Commission’s move. He was later promoted to the position of Assistant Commissioner of Police in 2022, and eventually appointed to the post of Deputy Commissioner of Police by the President in 2024.

In wake of the new allegations, a number of the Opposition parties are calling for a full and thorough investigation and for consequences to follow.

In a statement, the Forward Guyana Movement said sexual harassment and sexual assault in the workplace are crimes against the dignity of the person.

The FGM said the investigation into Fizal Karimbaksh must go wherever the evidence leads, and if the evidence permits, he must be charged.

In a separate statement, the Alliance For Change said Deputy Commissioner of Police Fizal Karimbaksh should be relieved of duties immediately. The party said there needs to be a full, independent and impartial investigation into reports of criminal misconduct made against him.

“A female inspector of police has reportedly accused Karimbaksh of rape, assault and threatening her life. These are serious allegations of criminal behaviour and it is not the first time that the head of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) has found himself accused of being on the wrong side of the law”, the AFC said.

The AFC also called for an independent team of regional and international investigators to probe the serious allegations, as it has no confidence in the local Police investigating one of its own senior officers.

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