Bridging the gap between police and citizens
– Deputy Commissioner Hicken hosts outreach in Kaneville
Bridging the gap between the police and citizens is an area of focus the Guyana Police Force is working diligently to achieve. On Saturday, the Guyana Police Force held an outreach in the community of Kaneville, East Bank Demerara in an effort to achieve that objective.
Leading the exercise was Deputy Commissioner of Operations, Clifton Hicken who said the force is paying special attention to creating partnerships. He said it forms part of the GPF’s Strategic Plan.
“It is necessary for us to serve you, you are our largest stakeholder and so the feedback coming from you is necessary for us to make adjustments in order to ensure that we have a safer community,” he said.
The intention of the outreach, the Deputy Commissioner said is to form a cordial relationship with members of the community.
“We are going to crate an atmosphere where you can call us at anytime and we can address your issues… so if something is bothering you, feel free to pick up the phone and let us prevent it before it occurs, let us deescalate it before it escalates” Mr. Hicken told residents.
“I am forecasting, sometime on Monday, the President is boosting the Guyana Police Force with additional resources so we can improve our capacity to ensure that the neighbourhoods are safe. Again, because we care, you are going to benefit from all of this.”
The Deputy Commissioner urged residents to work along with the police to prevent conflict. He also encouraged residents to keep an eye out and report police ranks acting outside the realm of ethical law enforcement.
During the outreach, residents also benefitted from 200 hampers donated by Food for the Poor Inc. Mr. Hicken said it is part of corporate responsibility and the partnership the GPF has with the Private Sector.
Residents were also encouraged to get vaccinated against COVID-19. To date, Guyana has over 26,000 confirmed cases of the deadly Coronavirus with over 630 deaths. However, as of September 3, 2021, Government has administered 318,569 first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine with 166,763 persons having received both doses.