More money for crime fighting says Finance Minister

By Terresa McCall
Reporter-SKNVibes.com

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – LAW and order should soon be seeing a well-needed boost with the recent announcement of an increase in the budgetary allocation for the Ministry of National Security for the upcoming financial year.

Describing law and order as a “priority”, Minister of Finance Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris informed that for the 2009 Budget, additional funds would be allocated to the National Security sector.

He was at the time addressing members of the media at a press conference held at the Headquarters of the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday, December 8.

“We acknowledge that crime and law and order is a priority and will always be a priority of the government because it’s a basic to the government’s own duty and responsibility to the citizens and residents of the country. We are envisaging and we are proposing that additional resources be put into law and order in the country.”

Dr. Harris, while not stating specifics, said additional millions would be made available for National Security purposes but noted that money is just one of the challenges of law and order in St. Kitts and Nevis.

 “Sometimes it’s not just the money. Already, for example, we are well aware that on a per capita basis, we have a very large security force relative to other countries and so sometimes people speak of resources (manpower etc.). We are hoping, not withstanding we have made these serious additional millions available to that particular sector, that we can see improved efficiencies. Over the years [there has been] a number of initiatives that the government has taken and so the 2009 Budget must be seen as part of a continual response from the government to the challenges of law and order in the country.”~~Adz:Right~~

The Finance Minister alluded to fact that with the increase in fund allocation to the Ministry of National Security, there must be positive results.

“Last year we gave an increase, this year we are proposing an increase and so on. We need to get assurance of the delivery, greater results by the law enforcement agencies, greater comfort by the people that in relation to their mandate to protect and serve that those are being fulfilled. I think we have to look at indicators of those to adjudge how things are going in the country and how effective the resources which we are ploughing in are being utilised…”

On Budget Day, Tuesday, December 16, Dr. Harris will formally present the Draft Estimates for 2009 which would give a detailed look at the allocation of funds to the various sectors of St. Kitts and Nevis.