Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 16, 2015 (SKNIS): Prime Minister Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris said his government is investing in people, equipment, vehicles, consulting expertise, buildings and others as it spares no effort in creating a safe and secure environment.
While delivering the Budget address on Tuesday (December 15), Dr. Harris, who holds portfolio for Finance and National Security, said the reestablishment of the Ministry of National Security allowed for the consolidation of key resources in law enforcement and related security and protection agencies.
He said that the concerted efforts have produced a 14.3 percent drop in major crimes for the period January to November 2015 when compared to statistics from the same period in 2014 and that the Six Point Plan of Action to Reduce Violent Crime launched by the police in July this year has resulted in a number of successes including the seizure of 20 illegal guns and millions of dollars in illegal drugs.
“My government welcomes the hard work of our security officers,” Prime Minister Harris said. “Many of them work beyond the call of duty to keep us safe.”
Dr. Harris then announced that additional resources have been allocated in the 2016 Budget to grant a 20 percent increase in risk pay for members of the security forces. In addition to police officers, risk pay is currently paid to members of the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force including the Coast Guard Unit, Her Majesty’s Prison, and the St. Kitts and Nevis Fire and Rescue Services.
“Further, additional resources have been provided to support payment of a special allowance to the men and women who go way beyond the call of duty to risk their lives on a daily basis to keep us safe,” the prime minister added.
Credit was extended to the technical expertise provided by Bramshill Policing Advisers Ltd. - a United Kingdom-based company. Several consultants have been here for the past six months working closely with Violent Crimes Unit and other police units.
The prime minister also announced that the Closed Circuit Televisions (CCTV) will be upgraded in 2016. The radio communication capacity of the security forces will also be improved while the fleet of vehicles will be expanded. In fact, six vehicles are expected shortly thanks to a donation from the Republic of China (Taiwan).
Measures are currently being considered that will reform the criminal justice system - introducing alternative sentencing, implementing curriculum development and improved training programmes as well as broad based human resource management reforms with the police, prison and other security related agencies.
The Ministry of National Security was allocated $47.6 million in the 2016 Budget to carry out its recurrent activities and $15.4 million for capital projects in the upcoming fiscal year. The allocation represents a $3.8 million or 8.7 percent increase over the 2015 figure.
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