– Crime Chief, SOCU Head, 3 others appointed his deputy
In what he describes as a process that meticulously followed the Constitution, President Dr Irfaan Ali on Thursday confirmed Clifton Hicken as Commissioner of Police as well as appointed five new Deputy Commissioners.
The newly minted GPF top hierarchy took their oath of office before the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces at the Office of the President.
According to President Ali, these appointments were made in accordance with the Constitution and demonstrate the government’s confidence in these top officials within the Police Force.
“I have also fulfilled my constitutional requirement for the appointment of the Commissioner of Police, and every aspect of the appointment has been meticulously followed as prescribed by the Constitution… Clifton Hicken and all the deputies have shown great temperament over their careers. Their career speaks for itself. They worked in different regions of the country under different circumstances, tested under different occasions, but their strength not only lay in the hands of God or their faith, but in their love for the protection of the Constitution, and that is key,” Ali stated.
The substantive appointment of Hicken, who had been acting Police Commissioner since March 2022, comes on the heels of objections by the Opposition.
In fact, Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton had filed court proceedings to challenge Hicken’s appointment but this was dismissed by acting Chief Justice, Roxane George, who ruled that the President acted lawfully.
Hicken turned 55 years old on July 22, 2023. However, in a letter dated July 21, 2023, and based on the recommendation of the Police Service Commission in accordance with the constitution, President Ali granted Hicken, “permission to continue to act in the office of Commissioner of Police and to perform those functions until a time to be determined.”
Meanwhile, the Head of State had written the Opposition Leader on September 4, 2024, for consultation on the appointment of Hicken as Commissioner of Police, and had requested a response by September 18, 2024.
It was reported that Norton replied on September 17, 2024, objecting to the appointment in a two-page response. The president then responded on October 2, 2024, answering all of the concerns raised by Norton.
However, Attorney General Anil Nandlall, during an October edition of his programme – ‘Issues in the News’, had explained that President Ali does not need the Opposition Leader’s agreement for the appointment of the Commissioner of Police, or any Deputy Commissioner but meaningful consultation.
According to Nandlall, the Constitution does not require a face-to-face consultation and the President has satisfied all the requirements of the Constitution.
Deputy Commissioners
The new Deputy Commissioners of Police appointed by President Ali on Thursday are: Ravindradat Budhram, who currently heads the Force’s Administration Department; Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum; Errol Watts, who heads the Force’s Operation Department; Commander of ‘A’ Division, Simon McBean, and Head of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) – the Force’s white-collar arm, Fizul Karimbaksh.
During Thursday’s swearing-in ceremony, which the majority of the local media was not invited to, the Head of State posited that this is the first time in history that the hierarchy of the Police Force is so qualified – something which he says is in keeping with Guyana’s evolving economy and goals to make the GPF the premier law enforcement agency in the region.
“The men and women who formed the leadership today, the Commissioners and Deputies, are very different because they have different circumstances and different opportunities before them. We have some of the finest lawyers among them, some of the finest trainers before them, legal minds that make up the complement, and management strategists by academic qualification and experience. There has never been a time in the life and history of the Guyana Police Force when we had this level of academic quality in the Guyana Police Force. There was never a time in the history of the force when we had the level of opportunity and exposure to professional and academic improvement that we have now in the Guyana Police Force, and this must never be taken for granted,” he asserted.
President Ali further underscored the importance of these appointments and urged the officials to work together to strengthen the country’s security architecture.
“The importance of having a substantive Commissioner and Deputy is to allow and provide for the stability and clear leadership which boosts morale among officers and generate consistent leadership. It also helped with the development of the team, the advancement of the team and building relationships… As a country, we face many different security threats, which is why the variation of skills must complement each other. We must leverage the different skill sets that exist into a collective mechanism to optimize performance and improve results. That is why you’re a team. It must be seamless,” the Guyanese Leader stated. (G-8)
