Prime Minister Gaston Browne has raised concern that people wanted for crimes in other countries are being discovered living in Antigua and Barbuda, warning that the issue presents a serious threat to national security.

Speaking on the Browne and Browne Show, Browne said recent cases have shown that individuals being pursued by overseas law-enforcement agencies have entered the country and established themselves within local communities.

The Prime Minister did not identify the suspected fugitives or disclose the countries in which they were wanted. However, his remarks suggest that authorities are paying closer attention to foreign nationals with possible criminal histories and outstanding warrants overseas.

Browne said the situation reinforces the need for stronger cooperation among immigration officials, police, regional security agencies and international law-enforcement partners.

“The uptick in crime and violence in the last few weeks is of serious concern,” Browne said as he outlined the Government’s wider response to criminal activity.

He argued that Antigua and Barbuda cannot allow itself to become a refuge for people attempting to escape prosecution in other jurisdictions.

The Prime Minister’s disclosure is also likely to raise questions about the screening of people entering the country and whether immigration and law-enforcement agencies have timely access to regional and international criminal databases.

Authorities would need reliable intelligence-sharing arrangements to identify suspects who may enter using different names, fraudulent documents or travel documents that do not immediately reveal their criminal histories.

Browne said fighting crime requires an “all-of-society approach,” with residents also playing an important role by reporting suspicious individuals and activities to the authorities.

As part of the Government’s wider security response, rewards for information in major criminal cases have been increased to as much as EC$500,000. A reward of EC$5,000 is also being offered for information leading to the recovery of an illegal firearm.

The administration is additionally expanding the national surveillance network, acquiring night-vision drones and completing a digital records-management system for the police.

Browne said stronger technology and better intelligence must be accompanied by greater public cooperation and improved coordination among the agencies responsible for protecting the country’s borders.

The Prime Minister did not say how many internationally wanted individuals had recently been found in Antigua and Barbuda or whether extradition proceedings were underway in any of the cases.