Female Police ranks urged to be more professional, empathetic when handling DV, GBV reports

Female ranks within the various Police divisions have been urged to practise the right attitude and empathise when handling reports of domestic violence (dv) and gender based-violence, especially when dealing with the victims.
This has been promulgated by Home Affairs Minister Robeson Benn and acting Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken on Tuesday during a meeting at the Officers’ Training Centre on Camp Road, Georgetown.

In his address to the female ranks, Minister Benn highlighted the purpose of the engagement by stating, “This conversation is not simply as a knee-jerk reaction to what has been occurring in the society in respect of the safety of women and children, but more particularly how we want to see our Police Force develop.
The workplace has to be safe for women,” Minister Benn declared.
He noted that issues of sexual harassment and domestic violence are “troubling, and a danger not only to women in the Police Force, but also to the society and communities at large”.
Benn pointed out that a sore issue of domestic violence cases is that they are often not being taken seriously by Police ranks at stations.
“We have a far way to go and a long way from where we should be in terms of the respect for women, and in respect to the issue of domestic violence,” Minister Benn asserted.
Further, he elaborated that “We have a recurrent situation, where the women complain that they go to the Police stations and they are turned away, and that even women Police officers fall in with perhaps the agenda of the men; and perhaps they don’t want things to work, they don’t want to get involved because it may be a family or a friend.”

Minister Benn appealed to the female officers to be hands-on and more empathetic when dealing with such reports, while urging that they should be champions in such matters.
“That’s why you’re here. I had the feeling that the women Police officers themselves really should be the champions in this matter; that if a woman or girl or a child is being treated improperly against what the Standing Orders require, that it helps that the women Police step up and say, ‘No, that is not the way it should be done’, and Policewomen should offer protection and support.”
Speaking on the need for a change in the culture of policing, Minister Benn said, “We would like to have a new policing culture, a more diverse Police Force which represents all our cultures, religions, peoples, and ethnicities in the Guyana Police Force.”
He acknowledged that changes would not happen overnight, “but step by step, day by day, month by month, year by year, improvements can be made.”
Acting Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken noted that the Police Force recognises that domestic violence and gender-based violence are topical issues, and partnering with other organisations is necessary in order to fight these issues.
Further, the Top Cop reminded the ranks that despite the Force’s zero-tolerance policy, there is still a high level of deviation whenever reports are made at the stations.
“You’re all female ranks, and you’re supposed to be championing domestic violence, because most of the reports coming in, the victims are females. But instead of that, you’re exhibiting unprofessional behaviour and trying to settle matters,” Commissioner Hicken charged. He issued a stern warning that indiscipline and unprofessionalism would not be condoned.
Since ascending to the apex of the Force, Hicken has focused his and his Executive Leadership Team’s attention on improving the professionalism and integrity of members of the Force. This is evident from the Top Cop’s series of engagements over the past weeks, wherein he initiated separate meetings with all the commanders, subdivisional officers, sergeants and inspectors in an effort to share his vision of building a more cohesive and structured organisation.
Also attending Tuesday’s meeting were Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mae Thomas; Deputy Commissioner ‘Operations’, Ravindradat Budhram; Force Training Officer, Superintendent Keithon King; and Head of the Strategic Management Dept. at the Ministry, Samantha Wickham.