Dear Editor,
Whatever the motivation for MP Ganesh Mahipaul’s vulgar diatribe on Commissioner of Police Mr. Clifton Hicken, it is a sad such expressions of ignorance are able to grace the pages of respected publications. MP Mahipaul’s expressions resembles those of a delusional individual who sees the world through a prism only he and his political party can interpret.
Editor, I beg to differ with all the points raised by Mr Mahipaul on why Clifton Hicken should not be confirmed as in his position as Top Cop. The Reality is, Hicken’s name and presence has always caused the leadership and elements in Mahipaul’s party to have sleepless night and loss of appetite.
The constant criticism of Mr. Hicken and the Guyana Police Force in the public sphere is confounding. What has become evident is the fact that freedom of expression has taken on frightening dimensions. The detractors, such as Mr Mahipaul, are giddy with hatred. His claims, as stated in his letter published on October 05, 2024 are just outrageous and so I have refused to repeat them here in the interest of allowing this paper to have added space for a few more relevant letters as this one.
His hatred has clouded his judgement. For Mr Mahipaul’s benefit, I can point to a simple example of what currently occurs “under Mr Hicken’s tenure”, and that endears the Commissioner to the public.
Accessibility. One remembers times when making contact via phone with the top brass was nigh impossible. There was an obvious aloofness. It was as though the voices of those who needed assistance were an irritant. A visit to the Commissioner’s Office in years gone by was an odyssey not many were built to undertake. By the time you reached the secretary, you had basically forgotten what you had intended to highlight or complain about. It was torturous.
Things have changed for the better under Mr. Hicken, and fortunately the transformation has been embraced at a higher level, and the requisite resources are being provided. No more big-shots. There is a refreshing confidence in all engagements with the ordinary man. There is currently no limit to the belief that the current trend in the Force is conducive to the principles of natural justice and safeguarding our democracy. Thanks to Mr. Hicken.
The Guyana Police Force must remain rooted to its core values, and fight against negativity to maintain an image that is convivial, honourable and non-toxic. Irrespective of political inclinations, there must be no impediment to the continued building and preservation of a highly professional police force. The man-in-the-street looks to the Force for quality leadership. Mr. Hicken has provided that at all levels.
Hicken is cognizant that law enforcement carries with it, a responsibility unlike most other vocations. The temptations that are yielded to by John Public, cannot be given into by those who are entrusted to preserve law and order.
Mr Mahipaul is malicious in his inferences. Mr. Hicken should take him to task in no uncertain terms. Fortunately, the Commissioner’s level-headedness at the top of the organization has seen an embracing of that which matters in a modern-day society. He has ensured that the role of technology is consistently highlighted, and this goes hand-in-hand in buttressing the rapidly changing landscape.
For Mr Mahipaul’s information, under Mr. Hicken’s tenure there has been an expansion of human resource capacity in the Guyana Police Force, and previously dated systems are being ramped up to satisfy international standards – a development which will attract greater cooperation with the developed world, and at a minimum, enable us to be effectively supportive of our sister nations in the region.
No amount of negativity can erase the innumerable positives that have been injected into the Guyana Police Force by Commissioner Hicken. As many of us have learnt, the idle mind is the devil’s playground. The playground is always open, and there is an abundance of idleness. Mr Mahipaul and his cohorts are advised to find a more wholesome environment to convene.
