Latest update September 16th, 2026 10:20 AM
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WPA wants top cop fired
…says police chief should frequently appear before parliamentary security committee
Kaieteur News- Co-leader of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Dr. David Hinds, is calling on the government to fire Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken, and mandate his replacement to make regular appearances before the security sectoral committee.
He said whatever little credibility the Guyana Police Force (GPF) had remaining before the death of 11-year-old Adriana Younge has swiftly evaporated in the weeks subsequent to the discovery of her body.
Co-Leader of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Dr. David Hinds
“For the WPA, the Guyana Police Force is beyond simple band aids and tinkering. It is a system that must be uprooted. The rot in that institution has consumed the entire security landscape. The police force is no longer capable of discharging its mandate to serve and protect the citizenry. It has become a cancer in the system that needs to be cured if our country is to live as a free and democratic society,” Dr Hinds said.
Dr. Hinds stressed that the force is a clear and present danger to peace, justice, stability and democratic order; hence, the WPA is proposing a complete overhaul. Subsequent to its depoliticisation, it is also proposing that those in the current leadership either tender their resignation or be removed.
“Their replacements must be approved by the Police Service Commission and confirmed by a two-thirds vote in the national assembly. The Police Service Commission itself must be disentangled from the clutches of the political executive. Second, the leadership of the institution must be mandated to make frequent appearances before a select committee of the national assembly to report on developments in the institution,” he outlined.
Dr. Hinds added that members of the institution, no matter the level, must undergo rigorous training in modern policing to vastly improve the efficiency of the force. This training must not be restricted to the traditional areas of policing, but should be expanded to include Guyana’s history, sociology, human rights and the constitution. The University of Guyana should be involved in this exercise.
He also highlighted that the long-awaited name change to the Guyana Police Service must be implemented immediately.
Dr. Hinds noted that, “Even as these changes are being carried out, a committee of experts, along with members of the national assembly, should begin a fact-finding mission across the country to hear from communities about problems and proposed changes to the institution.”
Furthermore, Hinds said a zero-sum approach to corruption must be implemented immediately. There should be an anti-corruption unit with staff comprising ex-police officers, legal experts and other anti-corruption experts unrelated to the force. The wages and salaries of the members of the institution must also be upgraded to those of their regional counterparts, as part of the anti-corruption initiative.
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