Command Crisis: Hicken, Karimbaksh Locked in High-Stakes Police Feud

Staff— Writer

𝙏𝙝𝙚 592 𝙂𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣

A simmering power struggle within the Guyana Police Force has now burst into the public domain, exposing troubling fractures at the highest levels of command.
Deputy Commissioner of Police and Head of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), Fizal Karimbaksh, has openly challenged statements made by Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken, flatly rejecting claims that he is the subject of an Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) probe.

In a direct rebuttal, Karimbaksh made it clear: not only can he not be investigated by the OPR in such a manner, but the Commissioner himself lacks the authority to trigger such an investigation against a Deputy Commissioner without the involvement of the Prime Minister’s Office. That revelation alone raises serious questions about the accuracy—and intent—of the Commissioner’s public remarks.
Even more striking is Karimbaksh’s assertion that he is, in fact, the complainant.

According to him, the incident in question unfolded when a SOCU rank was stopped by officers attached to the Anti-Crime Unit for a traffic-related issue—an action that directly contradicts standing administrative instructions prohibiting anti-crime ranks from engaging in traffic enforcement. Acting on that breach, Karimbaksh intervened and instructed the officers to cease their roadside operation.
Rather than overreach, he argues, his actions were entirely within his remit as a Deputy Commissioner, empowered to ensure compliance across departmental lines.
But the controversy did not end there.

Karimbaksh’s complaint to the OPR centers not only on the alleged insubordination of the ranks involved but also on the circulation of a recorded interaction on social media—an act he believes was calculated to publicly humiliate him and tarnish his reputation.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Hicken has painted a different picture, suggesting the intervention was premature, lacking verification, and executed outside the established chain of command.
The clash now presents more than a mere disagreement over procedure—it signals a deeper institutional discord within the Force. When senior leadership cannot align on authority, protocol, or even the basic facts of an incident, public confidence inevitably erodes.

At its core, this is no longer just about a traffic stop or an internal complaint. It is about credibility, command integrity, and whether the Guyana Police Force is being steered by clear rules—or competing egos.
And as this war of words escalates, one question looms large: who, in fact, is in control?

𝙏𝙝𝙚 592 𝙂𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣-𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝 , 𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮, 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙄𝙣 𝙂𝙪𝙮𝙖𝙣𝙖 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨.— ✦—