National Security Budget Increases To $137.8M
“The Ministry of National Security has been allocated $137.8 million – an increase of $6.4 million,” Premier David Burt announced in the Budget.
The relevant extract of the 2024 Budget statement said, “The majority of this increase is due to negotiated salary uplifts, with some funding for new programmes.
“New programmes include the implementation of a uniformed services training program to improve Bermudian readiness for the uniformed services, recruitment of cyber-security posts and a Disaster Coordinator for the Disaster Risk Reduction and Mitigation team in the Ministry HQ.
“Funding has been allocated to fill vacant posts in the Bermuda Police Service, Customs Department, and the Department of Corrections and Bermuda Fire and Rescue Service.
“Capital funding has been increased by 19% to $6.5 million for refurbishing the police headquarters, purchasing new vehicles and computers and upgrading network servers; construction of a new Coast Guard shed; security upgrades at the Westgate Correctional Facility including a full body scanner; and to purchase four specially designed trucks for L F Wade International Airport.”
You can read a full copy of the 2024 Budget speech here and view all our coverage of the 2024 Budget here.
Trick question but have the people who were in charge of our cybersecurity and consultant(s) been fired for say incompetence, gross negligence, etc.? Guessing some of the salary uplifts went to those people.
Say, has our government CIO ever made an appearance and said something on the hack? Do we even know the CIO’s name and why was he not fired?
Those are plantation questions, son.
National Security gets $237.8 millions and education gets $142.6 million.
It makes one wonder whether the PLP Government perceives the greatest threat to be from without or within.