Having reached the age for retirement, the service of acting Police Commissioner, Clifton Hicken has been extended.
President Irfaan Ali on Monday told media operatives that a letter to this effect has already been issued. The Police Commissioner qualified for requirement last month, after he turned 55 years of age.
“I have already issued a letter extending the services of the Commissioner of Police to a date to be determined,” informed President Ali.
In March 2022, Hicken was appointed Top Cop – a promotion from his post as Deputy Commissioner of Police with responsibility for Operations at that time. Joining the GPF in August 1986 as a Special Constable, he has held the ranks of Lance Corporal, Corporal, Sergeant, Inspector, Assistant Superintendent, Superintendent, Senior Superintendent and Assistant Commissioner.
In fact, under his leadership, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has been executing his Strategic Plan 2022-2026, geared at transforming the law enforcement organisation into a contemporary one through the development of its human resources and other capabilities.
For 2023, under his leadership, the Police Force has focused heavily on operational priorities, performance, professionalism and accountability. In fact, strategies have been identified to mitigate against crime and violence, particularly clamping down on illegal firearms and drugs in the streets of Guyana.
In July, all categories of serious crime were at negative growth for 2023 thus far; except for murder figures, which hiked by 37 per cent. Additionally, 68 firearms were seized, representing a 13.3 per cent increase in overall confiscation of such weapons.
Article 211 (1) of the Constitution mandates that “the Commissioner of Police and every Deputy Commissioner of Police shall be appointed by the President acting after meaningful consultation with the Leader of the Opposition and the Chairperson of the Police Service Commission [PSC] after the Chairperson has consulted with the other members of the Commission”.
Meanwhile, provisions for a person to act in the office of the Police Commissioner are outlined under Article 211 (2) of the Constitution, and the provisions contained in Article 211 (1), shall apply to such an appointment as they apply to the appointment of a person to hold that office.
APNU/AFC Chief Whip Christopher Jones’s application had sought to nullify the March 30 appointment, mainly on the ground that the Head of State failed to “meaningfully consult” with the Opposition Leader as is constitutionally required.
However last August, Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George, SC, upheld President Ali’s appointment of Hicken as Police Commissioner, deeming an APNU/AFC parliamentarian’s challenge to the appointment “vexatious and an abuse of the court process”. Justice George found that the President always had properly executed his discretion.
In the absence of an Opposition Leader and the PSC, she held that President Ali, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, acted “out of necessity” and it was reasonable for him to take action in his “own deliberate judgement” to appoint someone to act as Top Cop. (G12)
