The Guyana Police Force’s (GPF) pool of Immigration Officers has expanded, after 36 new officers completed a six-week course on Friday.
A press release from the GPF said that the batch of officers— 10 males and 26 females— were “strategically” selected from all ten administrative regions and that the course covered several important aspects of the day-to-day demands of an Immigration Officer.
The topics covered included records management, data protection, profiling, interview techniques and trafficking in persons. The course was coordinated by Woman Corporal 20510 Gonsalves.
Giving the feature address at the ceremony, Deputy Commissioner of Administration, Paul Williams, cautioned the new officers to beware of greater challenges ahead but advised that, “As leaders you will make mistakes, but it’s about what you do when you fall down [that] matters most.”
Williams was part of the team of facilitators for the immigration course, and according to the release, lectured the students on Ethics in Law Enforcement and Social Media, among other areas.
Force Training Officer, Assistant Commissioner Clifton Hicken, also addressed the students and highlighted that customer service is demanded at all levels of any organisation. He also pointed out the vital nature of the department, and commended the new officers, who have transformed over a short period of time, even under new and challenging circumstances.
The release also noted that for last year, the Central Immigration Office issued 150,000 passports to citizens here and overseas, and through screening, recorded over 800,000 persons on entry and departure.
It added that through decentralisation, the office has seen more effectively managed operations, “living up to the Force’s mandate to serve and protect.”
Also present at the ceremony were Deputy Chief Immigration Officer, Superintendent Ewart Wray; Second-in-Charge Immigration, Deputy Superintendent Fradella Boyce; Officer-in-Charge of Port of Entries, Assistant Superintendent Janice Prince; and other senior and junior ranks of the Central Immigration Office.
