“Stop receiving bribes; charge those who offer” – Top Cop tells Sergeants

…warns of consequences

Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken, is doubling down on eradicating corruption within the Guyana Police Force (GPF), warning Sergeants to stop taking bribes and charge those who are offering them.
“If you become corrupt, it’s because they have a giver and you’re the receiver. As of today, stop receiving, and persons must be charged when they come to bribe the Police. I’m making myself very clear, or else other things will happen,” the Police commissioner cautioned ranks.
Hicken was at the time delivering remarks during the opening ceremony of the Guyana Police Force Sergeants’ Conference 2026 at the Officers’ Mess Annexe, Eve Leary, where he reminded the officers that they are ambassadors of the Force.
“Sergeants, you translate supervision into daily action. You are the frontline leaders of this noble organisation. You set the tone at stations, on patrol, in traffic enforcement, during investigation, and community engagement. The public does not see our policies or strategic plan, they see your conduct, your discipline, and the standards you set,” he noted.
The one-day conference on Wednesday brought together Sergeants from across the Police divisions to discuss leadership, modern policing strategies and the role of technology in law enforcement. It was held under the theme “Modern Policing for a Modern Nation: Integrating Technology, Innovation, and Leadership to Strengthen Public Safety and Trust”.
Against this backdrop, the Commissioner of Police underscored the importance of Sergeants equipping themselves to operate in a technology-driven Police force.
“Those who cannot use the computer, please… you need to get in tune, equip yourself, and be computer literate. Within the next two months, we’re going to take reports via computer and it’s going to go right in to the system. No paper-rugging and tugging, and no taking long for information anymore. Those are gone days,” Hicken stated.
This move, he explained, is in line with the Force’s 2027–2031 Strategic Plan, which will focus on innovation, technology and adaptability. In addition to digitised citizen reporting platforms, other planned initiatives under this new plan include predictive policing using data analytics, full electronic case management systems, and biometric border security, among others.
According to the Top Cop, the successful implementation of these initiatives will depend largely on their leadership and supervision.
“It means, Sergeants, you have to be on your staff like a bug and so the mentorship programme starts at your level,” the Police Commissioner stated.
Meanwhile, the 2027–2031 plan comes on the heels of the first phase (2022–2026), of which some 75 per cent has been implemented, resulting in major reforms and modernisation initiatives.

Among the key achievements highlighted was the deployment of 30 speed cameras nationwide under the Safe Roads Intelligent System, which contributed to a 29 per cent reduction in road accidents, while e-ticketing increased significantly from 837 tickets in 2024 to 24,793.
Infrastructure, operational capacity
Infrastructure and operational capacity were also expanded with the construction of five command centres across several regions, the activation of 55 CCTV sites, the completion of 23 Police stations, and the construction of 10 new boathouses.
Moreover, serious crime declined by 27 per cent, supported by targeted operations, improved intelligence coordination, and the work of 476 community policing groups across the country.
Additionally, 6685 body-worn cameras and 942 digital workstations were deployed.
But even as he reminded the Sergeants to ensure that ranks are equipped with the bodycams and tasers, the top cop pointed out that equipment and infrastructure do not reduce crime on their own but are driven by leadership, especially at the Sergeants’ level. To this end, he called on Sergeants to ensure they fulfil their responsibilities.
“This is all I want the Sergeants to deal with – your station boundary. No matter the other boundaries, you focus on your station boundary. And if everybody focuses on the station boundaries, the place will get small. You’re policing only your area of responsibility. All the Sergeants have the responsibility… You’re supposed to know everybody in there, who’s drinking, where the business is, where the people smoking drugs, where the mechanic shop is. You ought to know everything. And if you don’t know that, get busy or else things are coming for you,” he cautioned.
According to Hicken, performances in areas like this will be checked upon during the force’s annual promotion – something which he says will be merit-based.
“We need to ensure that you’re working and so, [as] components of the Monthly Evaluation Units, quarterly inspection will be done. And when they’re coming back, don’t think that you’re going to be promoted based on who like you and who don’t like you. It’s merit-based,” the top cop posited.
In 2025, some 3510 ranks in the Police force were promoted under this merit-based system. During last year also, the Police force provided opportunities that saw 1966 ranks benefit from scholarships, with 105 of them receiving language training in Spanish, Portuguese and Mandarin.
Another 811 ranks enrolled in the Guyana Police Force Digital School to enhance academic and professional development, while some 774 new recruits were enlisted last year. In fact, the GPF has even expanded its accommodation facilities to increase recruit intakes by 300.