Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr. Denzil Douglas, while delivering the Budget Address 2010 on 14th December 2010, indicated that for 2011, the Ministry of National Security has a budget of $50,367,032.
He explained that not only does this figure register a 7.2 percent increase in allocation as compared with that for 2010 but it registers the largest increase which has been given to any ministry for 2011, in comparison with the previous year.
“Mr. Speaker, the Ministry of National Security, Immigration and Labour have been provided with $50,367,032 for 2011. Of this amount, $40,972,999 has been allocated to Recurrent Expenditure and $9,394,033 for Capital Expenditure.”
The Finance Minister explained before Parliament and the Nation that in order to effectively address the “escalation in crime”, the Ministry of National Security has had to “tweak existing strategies and formulate new ones. More and more it is being recognized that crime fighting requires a multifaceted approach involving domestic, regional and international stakeholders.”
In the upcoming year the Ministry of National Security intends to use a number of strategies geared at improving the Federation’s crime fight.
Dr. Douglas lists some of these as being, “The application of technology to crime detection; Development of increased interoperability of security agencies with the implementation of the Closed User Group initiative that makes provision for improved intersectoral collaboration; Implementation of the Revised Strategic Plan by the Law Enforcement Agency outlining robust crime reduction and detection strategies, increased patrols and intelligence gathering; Improved information technology applications in law enforcement in the processing of crime scenes and as a part of the investigative technique and improved networking and information sharing.”
He informed that another important strategy involves the infrastructural modernization development with specific focus on “the construction and refurbishment of police stations in St. Kitts and Nevis and identifying the financing for a new correctional facility.”
Underscoring the importance of the Ministry of National Security, Dr. Douglas explained that it is key in securing the economic gains which the Federation has made over the past years.
“The present situation with respect to crime has the potential to erode the high standard of living we have grown accustomed to. Recent incidents have helped us to understand the impact that one single incident could have on our very livelihoods. It also showed us how quickly criminals can be apprehended and taken off the streets when the public cooperates with the police by providing information.”