Acting Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken yesterday met with Sergeants from across the country and warned them to desist from “harassing” members of the public and admonished that unprofessionalism will not be tolerated.
“Be professional and stop harassing persons. Do everything to forge and strengthen police and community relations. We need to stop harassing and bullying members of the public, we need to desist from these random and unnecessary traffic stops and searches, we must regain the public’s trust and confidence and we must do everything in our power to rebuild and improve the image of the Force and regain the trust of the people,” a release from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) yesterday quoted Hicken as saying.
Only officers who are at the rank of Sergeant attended the meeting which was held at the Police Officers’ Training Centre, Camp Street.
According to the release, Hicken told the Sergeants that in the execution of their duties, they should “serve and protect” and aim to change the “negative” image and perception the public has of the force.
He warned that there will be no “compromise” when it comes to professionalism and integrity while noting that failure to adhere to his directives will result in ranks being disciplined.
“You’re going to be judged on every aspect of your work and so professionalism is paramount”, Hicken said.
In a bid to develop capacity, the release said Hicken also informed the Sergeants that they must be willing to adapt to the changes that will come on stream which will include them being rotated on a regular basis.
Stating that emphasis should be placed on identifying hotspots, black spots, commercial and other activities, the release said Hicken further noted that as Sergeants they ought to understand the activities within their span of control to adequately deploy ranks.
Reminding them of some of the key protocols, the release further noted that Hicken said that ‘stop and search’ exercises should be done in keeping with the established Standard Operating Pro-cedures (SOPs). “Before, during and after the search, constant communication must be done with the Operations Room…This posture is to provide guidance to the patrols,” the release quoted Hicken as stating.
Traffic posture, he said, will see ranks being strategically placed along the corridors and thoroughfares with minimal stops for production of documents unless these are supervised by an Inspector or Officer.
Additionally, he said that conduciveness at police stations must be “encouraged and maintained” as far as practicable and as outlined in the force’s Standing Orders.
He reminded the ranks that “discipline” is paramount in the force. “You are entrusted with decision-making that can affect the lives of members of the public…and one ill decision can create problems out there,” Hicken said.
