Hicken outlines plans to rotate Police ranks for greater efficiency

– Cadet Officer David Prince named ‘Best Cop’ for CID

Commissioner of Police Clifton Hicken has unveiled plans to implement a rotation system for officers within the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to enhance organizational efficiency.

Speaking at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Annual Christmas Luncheon and Awards Ceremony on Monday, Hicken emphasized that the rotation will especially benefit detectives as preparations intensify for the 2025 General and Regional Elections.
“Next year, we’ll be doing police work, and we’ll be fighting the election. Next year is expected, first of all, that we build capacity among the detectives. You’re gonna be more than you are now.”
Additionally, referring to the GPF’s new state-of-the-art training academy at Dora, Soesdyke/Linden Highway which is scheduled for completion in 2025, the Top Cop said a wide variety of programmes are currently being developed to build capacity among the detectives and other officers of the GPF.
“As young policemen and women coming up, we’re not going to confine you forever to one area. In the college, we’re drafting programmes at the levels of Diploma and Degree and beyond that. At the Constable level…right up to Assistant Commissioner will be trained,” Hicken said.
Hicken stressed the importance of standardizing training across all divisions of the Force, stating, “Once all officers are trained, we’re no longer gonna have a gap between traffic rank, a detective or general duty police. All of you are gonna know equally. And so, we’re gonna create an atmosphere where we can rotate the Force, creating efficiency and then we will pull out what we need to achieve the objective of the organisation.”
The Commissioner informed officers at the event that they should be prepared to work in different regions as the Force tackles both routine duties and the demands of the upcoming elections. “Why we’re using rotation [is] because it’s an avenue used to build capacity in an organisation… The regions you’re in, you might not be in that region [next year].”
However, he assured CID officers that while rotations will occur, they will not be transferred out of the department. “Nobody owns the CID, and so we’re not gonna transfer you,” he said.

The top cop urged all ranks to excel in their roles, regardless of where they are assigned, as the Force gears up for a busy year ahead.
Meanwhile, Cadet Officer David Prince who was recently named the GPF’s Best Cop for 2024 has also copped the award for ‘Best Cop’ in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
The CID Christmas Luncheon Awards was inaugurated in 2015 with the primary function of recognizing the hard work of ranks across the various departments despite challenges faced on a daily basis with several “sleepless nights”, and time spent away from families, especially in pursuit of “high profile cases”.
Cadet Officer Prince, who is Second-in-Charge of the Narcotics Branch, was recognised for his leadership, diligence and commitment in the fight against narcotics, which resulted in him receiving the CID award for Best Cop alongside runner-up Sergent Ameer Mohamed.
He was among 13 other ranks from CID recognized for their outstanding performances within the Fraud Squad, Cyber Crime Unit, Forensic Video Analysis Unit, and Registry, among others. Also receiving an award was Inspector Krishna Seetaram whose policing division did not record any serious crimes for the last half of 2024.