Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton, today flagged the Guyana Police Force as a highly corrupt institution, as he called for an independent investigation to be launched into allegations that senior officers within the Force are linked to the criminal underworld. 

In responding to a series of questions posed by reporters, Norton said he not surprised by the allegations facing a Senior Police Officer, as he pointed to the period of the crime wave, when the Police were linked the criminal network. 

“It is a circle of corruption, it is a national corruption crisis and I am not surprise about the allegations against him, and if the allegations are allowed to flow, and they are investigated, you would find only about two or three, if so much, will be left at the top of the Guyana Police Force. It is a corrupted institution,” Norton told reporters. 

Another Assistant Police Commissioner, Calvin Brutus, is currently being investigated by the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) for allegedly engaging in financial improprieties. A Stabroek News report today stated that as part of the investigations, Brutus told investigators that he received more than $45 million in cash as wedding and Christmas gifts last year.

“In which normal country, a policeman salary that is not a million a month will tell you about the assets he has. In which normal country, a senior police officer, will be allowed to collect over $40 million in gifts. Those are special gifts. The new approach to getting corruption money is called gifts. Common sense would tell anybody but then the question becomes, why aren’t they moving him? Because he knows what they are into. He knows that the top of the police, except one or two, are all corrupted and so, they have to bid time and hope the issue goes away because to squeeze any God-given hidden thing like Brutus will produce results they don’t want – exposure of the leadership of the police and the PPP,” Norton said. 

Brutus proceeded on leave last July to allow for the investigation against him to take place. 

Blaming the current Government for the state of the Guyana Police Force, the Opposition Leader said the Government has created the conditions for high levels of crimes such as the recent kidnapping. 

President Irfaan Ali recent wrote the Opposition Leader through the Governance Minister, seeking his support for Clifton Hicken to be substantively appointed to the Police Commissioner’s post. Hicken, who has already passed the retirement age and is currently on an extension, has been acting as Police Commissioner for the past three years. The Opposition Leader has said he will not support his appointment to the Top Cop position.

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