The Guyana Police Force has trained 36 new immigration officers.
They were taken from the 10 administrative regions and trained for six weeks. The team consisted of 10 males and 26 females. The new batch of immigration officers received knowledge in critical aspects as it relates to the unique day-to-day demands of an Immigration Officer such as records management, data protection, profiling, interview techniques, and trafficking in person.
At the graduation ceremony yesterday, the Force Training Officer, Clifton Hicken reminded the new recruits that customer service is demanded at all levels of any organization. He commended the new officers who he said transformed over a short period of time.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Administration, Paul Williams, cautioned the new Immigration officers of the greater challenges ahead.
“As leaders you will make mistakes, but it’s about what you do when you fall down that matters most. Do not bring yourself from a Police to a Criminal,” the Deputy Commissioner warned.
In 2018, the Central Immigration Office issued 150,000 passports to citizens locally and abroad and through screening has recorded over 800,000 persons on entry and departure. Through decentralization, the office has seen much more effectively managed operations, living up to the force’s mandate to serve and protect.
