Just yesterday, Senior Police Superintendent Clifton Hicken was at Pegasus poolside with friends, laughing, joking and enjoying some drinks.  Today, he celebrated his birthday but for many, there was no cause for celebration.  Cifton Hicken did not show the crowds at the Linden protest any mercy when he approved the murderous firing into the crowd of protesters with live rounds.  Clifton Hicken approved the murders of 3 protesters and the wounding of 12 others; protesters who were simply exercising their democratic rights to protest against a vindictive government’s punishment of a group of citizens who were supporters of the opposition government.  The Linden protesters were saying, “we have 75% unemployment, we cannot pay a 700% increase in electricity, we are not on the GPL power grid, we want justice, we want equal rights.”

Clifton Hicken is no stranger to controversy.  He is the officer who was  driving a drug dealer’s car on the Eve Leary Police compound last year and in spite of numerous orders to stop driving the drug dealer’s flashy and expensive BMW automobile onto police property by then Commissioner Henry Greene, he persisted.  Clifton Hicken cavorted with drug dealers and the police chief had no control over him.  It meant that Hicken was connected to a much higher power, Hicken was connected directly to Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee; a man who’s visa has been revoked by the US embassy, and he was empowered and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Hicken was so empowered that he offered protection to devious characters who were allowed to play soccer every Sunday at the TSU tarmac.  Hicken was so empowered that he instructed ranks not to stop certain vehicles when encountered on the road and according to local reports, he was in charge of some 400 ranks as well as most of the force’s arms and ammunitions.

In the true style of a police force rife with corruption and bullied by Minister Rohee, instead of being fired after an investigation, Hicken was allowed to remain on the force, where his sense of empowerment, his direct relationship with Rohee and his inflated sense of self caused him to follow through on orders from Clement Rohee and Roger Luncheon and approve the firing of live rounds into a crowd of people who were simply standing up for their rights.

It is indeed telling, that today he continues to walk the streets, celebrate his birthday, and enjoy some drinks at Pegasus while 3 bodies of fathers, sons, friends, brothers are in the morgue awaiting post mortem examinations.  Is there justice in Guyana?  You decide.

[brutalfactsgt.com]