Police Force strengthens presence in border communities

Last Updated on Wednesday, 15 November 2023, 11:33 by Denis Chabrol

More Guyanese police have been deployed to its western border with neighbouring Venezuela to support Guyana Defence Force (GDF) soldiers there, amid weeks of increased tension over the territorial controversy sparked by fears of the seizure of Essequibo County.

“As we speak, the police and members of the Joint Services are working very hard and we’ve built our capacity at the border region and so we are bringing some comfort to the regions out there,” Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken said at the close of an annual police briefing to highlight anti-crime and traffic management plans for the Christmas Season

Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez told the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Wednesday that her country would go ahead and exercise its sovereign right to hold a referendum on December 3, 2023 that seeks a popular vote for the declaration of Guyana’s Essequibo county as  State of Venezuela and non-recognition of that court to hear Guyana’s case that the 1899 Arbitral Tribunal Award of the land boundary is full, perfect and final. The court was,however, told that the referendum would not mean the annexation of the disputed area but the granting of identification cards to people along the border.

While sending a signal of patriotism for Guyana’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, the Police Commissioner made a blooper when he said throughout his primary and secondary school career, “I’ve learnt and I have understood that Guyana covers 83 square miles of land mass” and when someone corrected him, he stated that he said “square miles” before going on to add “I said 83,000 square miles.”

“Guyana’s boundary will not be altered in any way and that our final decision is at the ICJ and the police members, commanders and members of the Joint Services will remain resolute in that regard…Guyana belongs to all of us and we’re going to police Guyana as far as practicable,” he said.

The ICJ, having heard oral arguments from Guyana and Venezuela, will soon deliver its decision on Guyana’s request for provisional measures to block Venezuela’s referendum for fear that any action following the vote could cause this former British colony irreparable harm through the seizure or land and similar actions.