Hicken and the apology

Nov 27, 2014 Editorial

The only thing that prevented Commander Clifton Hicken from offering an apology for his remarks which unfortunately have several groups up in arms was an obduracy that characterises the modus operandi of the Guyana Police Force. Perhaps it is the type of learned behaviour that is evident in the interactions among the leaders of the country where all is taken and not one inch given.
What this unpleasant situation is reminiscent of is that, regardless of how offensive others find official comments nowhere is there any indication that a humble mien will accompany words seeking understanding and forgiveness.
One is left to wonder whether a frontline organization such as the GPF can hope to exist in the twenty-first century without at least making a serious attempt to adopt modern ways of operating. It is insane for anyone to believe that any police force will win the hearts and minds of the people they are mandated to serve, if absent from its repertoire of responses to troubling situations is a genuine desire to calm agitation by pouring water instead of fuel.
From observation it is not hard to imagine what is going through the heads of the Eve Leary administration. It will be something like this “Let them talk and protest all they want, they have to stop at some time; we done say what we say.” That is the kind of misguided thinking that passes for constructive engagement.
The current imbroglio makes Hicken appear overzealous but he should not be mistaken for a complete fool. Those of us who are not afflicted by memory impairment might recall several years ago where a man was shot by a joint patrol in Buxton; it was Hicken who arrived on the scene jumped into the trench clothed in cargo pants and emerged seconds later holding a gun aloft. The remarkable thing is that the very area where the weapon was found, had been searched futilely for over a half hour by members of the joint services before the arrival of Mr. Hicken.
A properly advised pragmatic police force would have sought to defuse tensions, and less we fool ourselves, there are tensions in society. The Guyanese people are under tremendous strain to accept the obscene behavior that passes for governance in major areas of their daily life while they themselves are expected to conform to the law and morally acceptable norms.
Commander Hicken has come forward to say, through the police, “I regret that my words offended any person or group. My intention was not to suggest that women or girls or even men for that matter invite rape. I am not insensitive to the horrors associated with rape and in this regard the Guyana Police Force has been working assiduously to address in terms of policy directives and training of its ranks in dealing with victims of this very heinous crime. I wish to apologise for any harm my remarks may have caused” or words to that effect.
What happened was that in a knee-jerk reaction the public is fed the unpalatable dose of Hicken’s remarks being taken out of context with absolutely no hint that the anger generated though understandable is misplaced and the force offering its regrets for the misunderstanding of the intention. One wonders if the GPF has anyone doing analyses of media pieces on the force and providing recommendations to the leadership. From all indications if this is being done the advice or suggestions either lack depth or they are ignored by possessors of superior knowledge.
Commander Hicken lost a golden opportunity at defusing the situation when protestors picketed his office in Brickdam. In the same way that he has been very vocal and visible in pleasanter circumstances he could have demonstrated his flexibility by leaving his office and engaging the leaders to express his sincere regrets and apologise for the angst his comments caused.

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Hicken and the apology

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