“Deliver visible, active supervision” – Min Walrond charges Police Inspectors

– says lack of proper supervision breeds corruption among junior ranks

As the Guyana Police Force (GPF) continues to undergo transformation, Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond has charged the leadership to step up and play an active role in advancing the ongoing modernisation of the Force.
She made these remarks on Wednesday while addressing the opening ceremony of the GPF’s Annual Inspectors Conference. During her presentation, the Minister highlighted the key areas that the Force needs to enhance in 2026, telling Inspectors that performance and accountability will be the focus.

“It’s time to speak, work on leadership skills, knowing that the people of Guyana are demanding no less… You’re supervisors; performance is important… I believe that we have taken on roles of leadership, and we ought to be held accountable for our results,” she posited.
According to Walrond, the direction that the Police Force is heading toward cannot be achieved only at conferences but will have to be done on the ground through leaders like Inspectors, whom she says are the hinge between strategy and execution.
“Supervision is the deciding factor, Inspectors… In 2026, my charge to you, the Inspectors, is that you’re expected to deliver visible, active supervision,” she stated.
In calling for Inspectors to be more active in the execution of their duties, especially over junior ranks, Walrond pointed out that the lack of proper supervision breeds corruption.
“Corruption is not a minor breach. It is a national security threat and will be treated that way. In 2026, [there is] zero tolerance for bribery, collusion, abuse of authority, or neglect of duty. Corruption survives where supervision is weak… The buck stops with you, the Inspectors… You’re expected to deliver daily enforcement of discipline,” she asserted.
Similarly, Commissioner of Police Clifton Hicken reminded the Inspectors that they are ambassadors of the Police Force and need to lead from the front. To this end, the top cop said he wants to see more Inspectors out in the field going forward.
“More often than ever, you are supposed to be on the road. You’re operational, and you’re supposed to be supervising the sergeants and all the other ranks and constables while you’re on the road. Please let this be a change of focus for the Guyana Police Force, for the Inspectors – that is why you are promoted.”
“You are responsible for the station and outpost. It means anything happening at the station and outpost, you are responsible. And so, I want to say, today stands the dawn of a new era where the Force’s succession plan will be realised, but more importantly, mentorship will be realised within every region,” Hicken posited.
This two-day Inspectors’ Conference comes on the heels of the Guyana Police Force’s Officers’ Conference held earlier this month, where President Dr Irfaan Ali outlined the roadmap to accelerate the transformation of the GPF.
Both conferences were held under the theme “Modern Policing for a Modern Nation: Integrating Technology, Innovation, and Leadership to Strengthen Public Safety and Trust”.
Drawing on that common theme, Minister Walrond also highlighted some of the areas that Inspectors need to ensure are improved upon, including ensuring case files leaving stations are complete, accurate, and court-ready; that technology is used with discipline and accountability; and that traffic and border enforcement remain consistent, impartial, and firm every time.
She also spoke to the need for enhanced response time and patrol coverage, noting that citizens must receive prompt attention at the station level – something that will help build public trust.
“In 2026, modern policing looks like a station that responds. Every complaint must be treated with urgency. Every citizen treated respectfully, delays corrected, cases to be progressing every day. The public measures policing by your response,” she emphasised.
She further added that “modern policing looks like a station that protects the vulnerable. Domestic violence and sexual offences must be treated urgently and with the utmost confidentiality. Victims should be treated with dignity. Follow-up must be structured, not ad hoc. When a force fails the vulnerable, we cannot build trust.”
Underscoring the importance of strong and consistent supervision, Minister Walrond noted that Inspectors will have to take charge in executing the mandate of the Guyana Police Force. To do this, she stressed that the strategy and resources, even the presidential directions, are already in place.
“Strong supervision produces discipline, and discipline produces good performance, and performance produces the ultimate, which is public trust, which is what we are all aspiring to. When we have public trust, most of our problems are solved. So that is the chain of responsibility, and that chain begins with you…”
“Your leadership must be visible, measurable, and consistent because you’re the ones who determine whether stations operate with control or drift into disorder. You determine whether complaints are treated seriously at your stations and elsewhere. You determine whether patrols are properly conducted, and you determine whether investigations meet procedural standards… These pillars will advance or stall based on the quality of your supervision,” she reminded.
The Annual Inspectors Conference, being held at the Police Officers’ Mess Annex, Eve Leary, will wrap up today.
Following the opening ceremony on Wednesday, there were comprehensive presentations by several senior officials within the GPF, including Deputy Commissioner (Administration) Ravindradat Budhram and Deputy Commissioner (Law Enforcement) Wendell Blanhum.