(RALEIGH) -- As part of her belt-tightening efforts to streamline state government, Gov. Beverly Perdue is putting more responsibility under the umbrella of current Department of Crime Control and Public Safety Secretary Reuben Young. He will become the secretary of the new, restructured Department of Public Safety.

The new agency will fold in the responsibilities of the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety,and  the Departments of Correction and Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The consolidation is expected to save several million dollars, in part by eliminating duplicative “back office” functions such as human resources, purchasing, training and administration.

“Reuben Young led North Carolina’s state law enforcement and emergency management communities over the past two-and-a-half years through many challenges,” said Gov. Perdue. “He knows North Carolina and is respected up and down the ranks of law enforcement. He is the right person to guide this new agency.”

Secretary Young’s new appointment is effective Jan. 1, 2012. His salary will remain the same.