ASSISTANT Commissioner of Police, Mr Clifton Hicken, has pleged to return Mocha to the quiet village it once was, but warned it won’t happen overnight. “This is a work in progress. Change cannot be done drastically; it has to be gradual,” he said.
“So we are going through a series of programmes to build back confidence. At the same time, my doors are open to members of the public,” he told residents of the crime-ridden lower East Bank Demerara (EBD) community Wednesday night.
The occasion was a community meeting at the Mocha Primary School, which saw among ranks in charge of the district in attendance Senior Superintendent Calvin Brutus; Sub-Divisional Officer, Superintendent Anthony Vanderhyden; and Divisional Traffic Officer, Superintendent Ramesh Ashram.
Speaking specifically to the disturbing issues of drug abuse, noise nuisance and delinquency among youths, the commissioner said that while such matters will be dealt with condignly, the only way of resolving them is by working with the police on identifying the problem.
A FAMILY UNIT
One way of doing so effectively, he suggested, is by coming on board with the Community Policing Groups in their district; assist with making the village of Mocha into a family unit, so that everyone can feel safe, and development can be a collective effort.
Noting that some residents can even opt to become Rural Constables, if they so desire, Commissioner Hicken said:
“The notion is that residents are afraid to tell their neighbours that their nieces and nephews that are spending time with them would normally steal people’s things, because they would look down on them. But at the end of the day, you are not hurting your neighbour alone; you are hurting other people.
“And by giving them leverage, they will graduate from breaking homes, to robbery with violence and gun robbery. So, it is important that it is nipped in the bud.”
He however hastened to assure those in the audience that might be sceptical about motive, that the police force has a particular way of dealing with youth delinquency; that it is largely dependent upon the severity of the crime that has been committed, and the victim’s leniency.
He also assured them that faith-based organisations are involved in this intervention, and that in most cases, counselling is recommended along with re-integration into society.

BALANCE AND TRUST
“So, is not everything we are putting before the judicial system; we have created these types of things to build back the balance and trust.”
He was, however, happy to report that it was not all gloom and doom at Mocha; that there are many good things happening in the village, such as the participation of Mocha youths in a ‘Spelling “B” competition; in the youth ambassador programme; and the upcoming pageant in weeks ahead.
“We are going to identify community leaders; leaders to form youth groups. We will build back capacity, in terms of family orientation,” Commander Hicken said, adding:
“It takes a village to raise a child; we are going to change the behaviour of these youths before it worsens.”
He also hastened to assure residents that based on statistical data, the crime situation at Mocha is not so bad that cannot be contained.
He encouraged them to join the police in putting together their Christmas security plan. “You need to tell me as much as I need to know about what is going on, so a reform process and solution can be found,” Commander Hicken said.

DRUG SITUATION
One resident complained about the prevalent use of drugs in the village. “A lot of people turning into junkies,” he said.
They all agreed that something needs to be done to help the police access those hard-to-reach areas where crime and delinquency are most prevalent.
One woman, a single parent from Barnwell North, complained bitterly that she has had no peace since her child was murdered back in 2007.
“I can’t get peace at the back there, because it got some boys coming from the front of Barnwell North together with the sets at the back and pelting down people house in the night. You can’t sleep when the night come,” the mother of three said, tears in her eyes.
“And when you come out to go at the station, the station door lock,” she said, adding:
“Sometimes when you meet the police, they come down one time and do nothing; and you never see them back. And this thing keep going on and on.”
She said that on one occasion, the youths in the area broke into her house and stole cash and jewellery. “When I make a complaint at Providence Police Station, the police ask me what I doing with all that money in my house.”