Top Cop tells ranks to remain neutral

Aug 20, 2025 News

…as force prepares for election duties

Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken during his muster with members of the force

Some of the ranks during the muster on Tuesday

Kaieteur News – Police men and women were on Tuesday told to remain neutral and professional in the conduct of their duties as the Guyana Police Force gets into gear for the upcoming general and regional elections.

The charge was given by Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken when he and Deputy Commissioner ‘Administration’ Ravindradat Budhram, held a muster with ranks from Police Headquarters at the Tactical Services Unit, Drill Square, Eve Leary.

During the muster a police press release stated, Hicken delivered a stern warning, cautioning officers that there would be consequences for any actions taken outside of the established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Force policies.

He emphasised the importance of the force’s professionalism, neutrality, and preparedness be maintained during the elections. In the coming weeks, Hicken noted that the newly promoted ranks will undergo training at the Police Academy, where they will earn certificates upon completion. With that, he thanked the ranks for their involvement and commended them for their good work. Finally, the Commissioner charged those in attendance to ensure that they uphold the integrity of the Guyana Police Force at all times, especially when dealing with members of the public.

On Monday the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) confirmed its readiness for the Disciplined Forces voting scheduled for Friday. This assurance was given by Deputy Chief Election Officer (CEO), Aneal Giddings. Asked by the media if GECOM was certain about its preparedness, Giddings responded confidently, “Yes. We are well poised for the conduct of these elections on Friday. All of the logistical arrangements have been made. At this point, there is nothing, aside from force majeure, that would prevent such conduct.”

Giddings further explained that all essential election materials, including printed ballot papers, Statements of Poll (SOP) forms, and tally sheets, have arrived from Canada. Upon arrival, the Commission began extracting ballots for dispatch to 20 diplomatic missions abroad. The following day, GECOM commenced preparation for the disciplined forces balloting. “Since then, we have enveloped all 10,481 ballots for the disciplined forces, prepared the ballot boxes for the conduct of that election. We have also packed the non-sensitive supplies that are required for each of the ballot stations,” Giddings stated.

The breakdown of ballots extracted for the disciplined forces is as follows: 6,909 for the Guyana Police Force, 3,106 for the Guyana Defence Force, and 466 for the Guyana Prison Service. To be eligible to vote, members must be over the age of 18, be registered, and appear on the disciplined forces list. Those who are unable to vote on August 22 will still have the opportunity to cast their ballots on September 1 in their registered areas.

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