Those who really know the Commissioner could provide better perspective of his value

Oct 09, 2024 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,

I have read Mr. GHK Lall’s articles in various media and perused them with great interest, based on his often-insightful opinions. I’ve enjoyed these missives, because for the most part his analyses and conclusions have been objective. However, I do believe that his most recent opinion piece (Monday, October 7), appearing on an online news outlet, warrants a critical response.

Captioned ‘Commissioner Hicken – time for congratulations or condolences’, the content of the article implies that when Mr. Hicken is appointed to be the Commissioner, he will be scrutinized more than any of his predecessors. The question anyone should ask is why.

First and foremost, it is apropos for me to point out that innumerable shocking incidents occurred under his predecessors; many embarrassing and scandalous issues, but I have never seen any opinion expressed by GHK Lall that any of them “could go down in the history of the Guyana Police Force as…lesser than the most disappointing Top Cop that this country ever had”.

When Mr. Hicken was spitefully overlooked by the previous administration – including officers junior to him being promoted ahead of him – there was no writing on his behalf. When persons placed above him were abject failures, why weren’t there any condolences then for law-abiding citizens of this Republic?

Mr. Lall is not the only writer who has zeroed in on the current Top Cop. Yes, all eyes seem to be trained in his direction. The relentless examination is disquieting. It is a crude, transparent attempt at death by a thousand cuts.

Editor, during Mr. Hicken’s tenure, he has been operating in an environment where evolution is taking place in society generally – where youths are perpetrating crimes on the law-abiding, and even against each other; where technology and social media are quite often misused and abused. Considering the fact that Mr. Hicken has been acting as the Commissioner, one must admit that he has competently navigated through all these circumstances. He has done a relatively good job. His leadership has been vibrant.

Commissioners must be judged by the public, but the public also have a responsibility to lawfully and respectfully conduct themselves, understanding that the policemen and women who protect and serve us, are all Guyanese like us, and the same communities that they are trying to fix are the same communities these policemen and women derive from.  And so, the least the public can do is work with the Police Force so that its frequently publicized goals can be met. Mr. Hicken has always been community-oriented and youth-focused in his pursuits.

Objectivity allows for clear thought in writing. Mr. Lall and others are reminded that the messages Mr. Hicken has been conveying to his officers and other subordinates have never been unorthodox. He has, to the best of my knowledge, promoted the path of best practices for the organisation. He has repeatedly pledged to make the Guyana Police Force the best in the Caribbean, and has demonstrated this ambitious desire in his presentations when representing the Force at engagements overseas.

In my humble opinion, he sells Guyana in the way it ought to be sold. In fact, we have read that most of the Caribbean is trying to adopt the principles, policies and methodologies used in the Guyana Police Force in an effort to reduce their crime rates.

Having said all this, I am particularly disgusted that the business people in Guyana are not highlighting the fact that they are operating in much improved circumstances in terms of crime threats. The silence is deafening. The Private Sector, in particular, thrives in a country with the low crime numbers that we have. Normalcy has prevailed for some time. When foreign investors come here, there is no longer the inherent fear of violent crimes being committed against them. Yet not a peep from those who are benefiting.

The Private Sector is enjoying all the sweet, but curiously steering clear of being identified as being supportive of Mr. Hicken and the advancements that have been made in relation to overall safety during his tenure so far. It is quite frankly a betrayal of trust.

If there is honesty in their midst, and within the hearts and minds of all law-abiding citizens who would have interacted personally with Mr. Hicken, I am certain that their contributions in favour of him, via whatever media is available to them, could and would provide better perspective for his detractors to pontificate.

Yours faithfully,
Sherwin Crandon

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• Commissioner, Monday, Mr. Hicken, October 7, Republic, Top Cop

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