Police to establish tourism, oil & gas, aviation units next year

The Guyana Police Force (GPF) is set to see major transformations in 2025 including the establishment of specialised units for the tourism, oil and gas, and aviation sectors.

This is according to Commissioner of Police (acting) Clifton Hicken who delivered the main address at the Force’s Christmas Awards ceremony on Thursday.

He noted that the Force will also establish a modern Police Academy at Dora, East Bank Demerara. “The establishment at Dora, it’s going to be more critical and we’re going to be in a better place,” the Commissioner said.

Also on the agenda in 2025 is transforming the GPF to the Guyana Police Service. “We’ve been saying that actually one and half years now and we’re going to push in 2025 to have that done,” Hicken said.

He disclosed that the GPF will establish a neighbourhood council and a neighbourhood watch policing programme to build better relations with communities and aid in crime fighting.

Further there will be the establishment of “functional willingness programmes” that builds capacity and resilience for ranks, broaden evidence-based practices to support crime detection and enforcement, mobilization of multi-agency and inter-judicial initiatives targeting crime, building capacity of accident and investigation units at police stations, and the establishment of a rehabilitation programme for incarcerated individuals focusing on education, skill development and Reintegration into society.

According to Hicken, the police will continue to decentralise key departments and services such as community relations, SWAT and canine unit among others to enhance services across the region.

He also promised the establishment of a monitoring unit in police regional divisions to improve transparency and track operational progress.

With plans to further increase training programmes in criminology, traffic management, emotional intelligence, evidence collection and storage for ranks, he urged all officers to work diligently to fulfil their roles.

“Let us continue to approach our duties with honour, integrity, with unwavering determination knowing that our collective efforts will create a safer and brighter future for all,” the Commissioner said.

On Thursday, 5,018 officers were awarded for their contribution to the GPF. This is an increase from the 4,336 awarded in 2023.