‘Stop Bribing Cops’: Police warn public

Sep 30, 2025 News

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…amid mounting cases of ranks demanding bribes from citizens

Kaieteur News – The Guyana Police Force (GPF) has issued a stern warning to citizens: stop offering bribes to police ranks or face the full force of the law.

In a sharp statement on Monday the Force said it is deeply concerned about the growing number of cases where persons attempt to “buy their way out” of lawful procedures by slipping officers money or so-called “tokens of appreciation.” “Offering a bribe is a criminal offence. Both the giver and the receiver are guilty under the law,” the GPF stressed, reminding the public that bribery erodes justice, weakens accountability, and destroys trust in law enforcement.

The Force reaffirmed its “zero tolerance” stance on corruption, noting that internal mechanisms are in place to detect and deal with rogue cops. Any rank found accepting bribes will be prosecuted, while civilians who offer inducements will also be hauled before the courts. The statement urged citizens to report incidents of bribery via the Commissioner’s Secretariat hotlines, while pointing to the government’s rollout of body cameras for ranks at ports of entry to strengthen accountability. “Together, we must ensure that corruption has no place in our society,” the GPF declared.

Meanwhile, the statement by the police comes one day after it was disclosed that policemen had demanded money from a passenger at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport on Sunday.  On Sunday in a statement the Force confirmed that several of its ranks stationed at the CJIA are under investigation for alleged extortion. According to reports, the officers were caught demanding money from a passenger in order to release her lawful items. In the statement police said that CCTV footage and other evidence have corroborated the allegation. “The officers involved have been placed under close arrest while the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) carries out a full investigation,” police said.

The statement further emphasised the force’s zero-tolerance stance on corruption. “To strengthen accountability and transparency, the Government of Guyana has ordered that from today, all law enforcement officers operating at ports of entry, whether at airports or other border points, will be required to wear body cameras.” The police stressed that any officer found guilty of extortion or bribery will face the full force of the law.  “The public is reminded that no payment of any kind is required to clear lawful items through CJIA or any other port. If anyone is asked for money, report it immediately to the nearest police authority,” police stated.

As a follow up on the matter on Monday Commissioner of Police and Chief Immigration Officer Mr Clifton Hicken, along with Deputy Chief Immigration Officer (DCIO), Senior Superintendent Stephen Telford visited the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, where they met and interacted with immigration ranks. In a release the police said that the visit was in the wake of allegations that Police ranks at CJIA demanded money from a passenger in order to release her lawful items. Meanwhile, the Government of Guyana has instructed that from Monday, all law enforcement officers operating at any port of entry, whether at airports or other border points, will be required to wear body cameras as a measure to enhance accountability and transparency.

Bribery

The police force has been dogged by allegations of bribery for decades. Last year while addressing the Guyana Police Force 185th Anniversary Symposium, then Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn stated that “if a policeman on the road decides to do right or left, and people left money, it’s a discredit to him and the Force in the public.”  Benn then called for an end to disrespectful behaviour and the extortion of citizens, saying that he had received endless complaints. Benn had also taken aim at police commanders who he said allegedly flaunt their wealth. “And the police commanders and others who find themselves in authority must not think that arriving at the job that they need to award and reward themselves and to walk around with plenty gold and diamond around their neck and their fingers. If they have that, it means that they are men who can be bought, I can buy you because that is what you like and you flaunt it. It must stop. It must stop.”

In its 2025 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) report the United States had said that “Corruption in Guyana…poses a significant obstacle to its efforts to combat drug trafficking. Corruption within law enforcement, bribery, and nepotism in the public sector and political entities further complicate the fight against drug trafficking. Authorities often drop charges or never file them and do not conduct serious investigations; traffickers are able to evade prosecution.”

The Transparency International for its part in its report on Guyana this year stated that the state of Guyana had been captured by the economic and political elites, fostering misappropriation of resources, illicit enrichment and environmental crimes. The body also stated that Guyana has lost ground in the fight against corruption moving from 40 points last year to 39 this year, ranking it 92 out of 180 countries on the Corruption Perception Index. “In Guyana, state capture by economic and political elites fosters misappropriation of resources, illicit enrichment and an environmental crime,” the Transparency International report said. It added: “Although the country has created anti-corruption institutions and laws, transparency and law enforcement are very low, and attacks on dissenting voices, activists and journalists increasingly common,” the body stated in its report.

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• accountability, bribery, Bribing Cops, police, trust in law

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