US, UK working with Guyana to strengthen anti-corruption, accountability efforts

A three-day Anti-Corruption Workshop 2026 kicked off on Monday at the Officers’ Training Centre, Camp Road, Eve Leary bringing together 25 officers for specialised instruction under the United State (US) – United Kingdon (UK) Criminal Justice Reform Programme. The 25 investigators and prosecutors from Guyana’s leading investigative agencies and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) will focus on financial investigations, case-building and international best practices for managing complex corruption cases. As the first Guyana-based initiative under the multi-year project, which also supports criminal justice partners across Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, the workshop advances the project’s broader objectives to modernise laws and practices, expand technical expertise and reinforce effective interagency collaboration.

At the opening ceremony, US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission John Crippen highlighted the persistent threat corruption poses to good governance and encouraged participants to apply the skills and interagency relationships developed during the workshop to address complex cases collaboratively. In addition, Chargé d’Affaires at the British High Commission in Georgetown, Liam McShane, welcomed the agencies’ enthusiastic participation, which he said reflects strong commitment to the “continued improvement and success” of Guyana’s criminal justice system. He added that, “this commitment to justice and public service is essential to the strengthening of Guyana’s institutions, as well as to the confidence and trust that citizens place in them.” Further, Police Commissioner, Clifton Hicken encouraged the participating officials to uphold accountability across the justice sector, uphold high character in their work and apply the lessons of the training workshop. Hicken emphasised the importance of ethical leadership and accountability within the Force underscoring that the responsibility is on officers who operate in positions of authority and the need for sound decision-making. The US and UK both underscored that corruption fuels transnational organised crime, hinders development and weakens public trust. It is light of this, the workshop was facilitated to strengthen cooperation with Guyana to improve accountability, criminal deterrence and shared security.
The workshop is being facilitated by regional and international experts, including Advisor to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Sirah Abraham, along with members of the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) of Jamaica, Alex Ferguson and Nigel Parke. The US Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs provided the US funding under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), a US security cooperation programme with Guyana and 12 other Caribbean countries to degrade and dismantle transnational criminal organisations, curb illicit narcotics, and deepen regional security cooperation.

The Anti-Corruption Workshop 2026 forms part of ongoing efforts by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to improve transparency, accountability and professionalism through strategic international partnerships and targeted capacity-building initiatives.