The Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) are currently exploring ways and options to collaborate and strengthen their existing decades-long bonds of friendship and partnership.
Acting Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken along with other top-ranking officials of the Guyana Police Force and members of the GCCI
Senior and executive members of the GPF’s Leadership Team and Executive members of the GCCI met on Wednesday to identify areas of collaboration and to discuss strategies that can be implemented in not just crime prevention but also in aiding the Force in its committed quest to improve the quality of its service delivery to the public.
In fact, a number of issues were ventilated during the almost two-hour meeting which was held in the Commissioner’s Boardroom at Force Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown.
Among the issues raised, which the GPF is seeking to partner with the GCCI and the corporate sector in tackling, are gender-based violence, domestic violence, crime prevention strategies, training and education awareness, and traffic management especially as it relates to road signs and markings to assist the general commuting public.
GCCI President Timothy Tucker explained that the Chamber looked forward to a close working relationship with the Force and to partnering in its social crime prevention programme. According to him, the GCCI has an open-door policy as it relates to collaboration with the Force.
On the issue of traffic management, Tucker pointed out that he was aware of cases where visitors/tourists using some of the roads in the city were sometimes clueless as to which roadways were one-way streets and which were not, as the markings and signs needed to be more visible, or new ones needed to be done in areas where there were none.
Tucker also alluded to the fact that one of the best ways to counter the negative perception and improve the image of the Force is by having a good and effective public relations machinery. He also highlighted the need for persons in society to find alternatives to cash and to move away from cash-based transactions.
Acting Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken said that partnership with all stakeholders, including the corporate sector, was essential in contemporary policing and was key to bridging the gap between the Police and members of the public.
Noting that the Force could not operate in isolation or in a vacuum by itself, Hicken stressed that partnership and collaboration were very important elements in successfully achieving the mandate of the GPF in terms of service and protection to the public, as working in isolation would exhaust its limited resources.
As such, in an effort to maximise its resources, the GPF must work in partnership with all stakeholders, including the corporate community and bodies.
Hicken also informed the GCCI team about the Force’s Strategic Plan 2022-2026, which speaks to operations, infrastructure, performance, partnership, professionalism, and accountability. He also highlighted the robust community outreach programme that the Force has undertaken across all the Police Divisions in Guyana.
The acting Top Cop further assured that moving forward under his leadership, things would not be done in an ad-hoc manner but in a very structured way to measure results. On this note, he lauded the GCCI for its positive input and suggestions during the meeting and for its eagerness to work with the Force to make Guyana a safer place for all.
Acting Deputy Commissioner (Administration) Calvin Brutus would be drafting the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the GPF and the GCCI, after which it would be finalised by both parties and then ratified.
