Over the past year, the Ministry of Defence has recorded significant strides in strengthening national security.
Defence Minister Wayne Sturge said stronger inter-agency coordination, legal reforms and enhanced surveillance over the past year have disrupted criminal networks and reduced illegal firearms.
“So we were able to, in essence, determine how many murders come from the inside, from the intelligence, hits called from the inside. And we felt that once we were able to, in a sustained way, cut off the communication from those on the inside who were calling the shots and in essence, planning murders from the inside. Once we could deal with that part, we could see a reduction in crime and we could move towards dealing with the other portions.”
He said the Ministry has also prioritised border security, strengthening maritime and aerial surveillance with support from international partners, particularly the United States, and these partnerships have played a critical role in curbing the influx of illegal firearms and narcotics while boosting the country’s interdiction capabilities at sea.
Minister Sturge said one of the most significant achievements of his tenure so far has been the measure of relief provided to citizens through a marked decline in violent crime.
“The 42% reduction in crime. And it started out very early with Roger and I and, well, the National Security Council, in essence, brainstorming about how we are going to achieve this. As I said earlier, you can’t stop people from killing their wives and so on, crimes of passion. But to fix that, that’s a long-term thing, that deals with mindset and culture and things like that.”
The Minister also highlighted amendments to bail laws closing criminal loopholes, along with reforms to the Probation of Offenders Act, stressing rehabilitation as key to successful reintegration and national security.