The first obligation of the State is the safety and security of its citizens. But the State does not act alone. Combatting crime and criminality is a collective effort, shared among communities, families, churches, schools, civil society groups, and organisations that exist beyond national borders.
The ultimate responsibility, of course, lies with the individual. Individuals must obey the law, and expect punishment if they break it.
As crimes have become more complex, the State’s ability to prevent and respond to criminal activity must similarly evolve. This Government has committed unprecedented resources to combatting crime and preventing criminal activity – Indeed, no Vincentian government has spent more on policing and crime prevention than this one.
Under the dogged and creative leadership of the Honourable Prime Minister, this Government has proven itself tougher on crime and the multifaceted causes of crime than any other.
This 2019 Budget increases the already large allocations to combatting crime. There is provision for 120 new personnel on the front lines in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, including 31 Constables, 81 Police Recruits and eight Coast Guard officers.
An additional 10 members of the Fire Service are also to be added. This year, for the first time in history, we will have over 1,000 personnel in Police Services, over 100 in the Coast Guard and over 100 in the Fire Service.
This 1,000/100/100 commitment by the Government is proof positive of the seriousness with which we view the security of our citizens and visitors.
Capital works, including the reconstruction of dormitories at the Coast Guard base at Calliaqua and the establishment of substations in Mayreau and Fancy, further buttress that commitment.
However, purchasing equipment, or hiring and training officers to be frontline combatants on the war on crime is only one part of the crime fighting equation.
The more complex task is training those officers to build relationships and trust within the communities of law-abiding citizens that they patrol.
This relationship building is difficult, frustrating and time-consuming, but it is ultimately far more beneficial than viewing citizen security as a pitched battle between competing armies. Our country is too small, and our people too interconnected, for our crime-fighting to be anything but community-based and firm, but fair.
Community outreach increased last year – particularly engagement with the youth. The Coast Guard Summer Programme welcomed 135 youths, while the Police Youth Club hosted 208, and Police Band Summer Programme an additional 135 young people.
The 2019 Budget also marks the launch of the Sports Against Crime initiative, which is discussed elsewhere in this presentation.
We look forward to a comprehensive programme of activities across our sporting facilities and within our villages, designed to occupy the idle hands and productively direct the boundless energies of our talented youth.
Last year’s Budget announced that 2019 would mark the rollout of a Taiwanese-funded programme to establish a number of Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) video surveillance stations at bus stops and other critical locations nationwide.
The necessary agreements with the Taiwanese were signed in late January 2019, and the programme is on schedule for rollout this year.
Coupled with a pilot project designed to monitor and regularise minibus routes and safety, Police will be able to monitor CCTV feeds and bus data from a central, hi-tech location.
We anticipate that this technological enhancement will significantly expand the reach of Police surveillance nationwide.
