Dart NPO gives cash to police and border control
(CNS): R3 Cayman Foundation, a non-profit organisation established by Ken Dart in 2020 with $1 million seed money during the COVID-19 pandemic to focus on navigating disasters and emergencies, has given over US$76,000 to the RCIPS and almost US$252,000 to Customs and Border Control. In a departure from the NPO’s founding purpose, the money is going towards security at the request of a donor.
A press release from R3 Cayman said the donations, totalling US$328,663, were part of its readiness mandate.
The grant of US$76,708 will allow the RCIPS to buy helicopter radar imaging technology with advanced AI software licences, which will increase the effectiveness of search and rescue operations.
CBC will spend the donated US$251,955 on upgrading cargo scanners for inspecting and processing incoming and outgoing goods. This will mitigate the impact of illegal and violent crimes and streamline importation, allowing for quicker package clearance. The machines will also be used to determine the contents of commercial or personal items for duty collection.
CBC Deputy Director Kevin Walton said that officers have seized contraband and dozens of firearms since the organisation’s formation in 2018.
“However, as technology advances, criminals have become more creative in the methods they use to smuggle goods and substances across borders. These new scanners with updated features and detection capabilities are instrumental in keeping pace with threats to our economy and citizens,” he added.
Police Commissioner Kurt Walton welcomed the money for the advanced AI software, which will help his officers accurately seek and identify objects on land and sea during the day and at night.
“Having the most innovative capabilities is critical for time-sensitive missions, like search and rescue, and will benefit a multitude of agencies, including RCIPS, CBC, Search and Rescue (SAR) and Fire Services,” he said. “We are grateful to the R3 Cayman Foundation for its generous donation that has significantly enhanced our nation’s search and rescue efforts.”
These security-focused donations came from the Simpson Group, which pledged $1 million to R3 last year and asked that $500,000 be designated for national security projects.
“Safety and security lie at the heart of the peace and prosperity of any nation,” said R3 Readiness Chair Michael Meghoo. “Updating the radar and scanning capabilities provides support for our protection services and gives peace of mind to our community that Cayman is leveraging modern technology to safeguard our borders.”
Since launching in May 2020, R3 has donated to over 30 local charitable organisations and governmental departments and authorities that provide emergency preparedness and relief for natural disasters and societal crises.
“Thanks to Cayman’s generous donor community, R3 Cayman Foundation has drawn all but US$1 million of the matching pledges committed by the Kenneth B. Dart Foundation,” said R3 Fundraising Committee Chair and Kenneth B. Dart Foundation board member Jackie Doak. “We encourage corporate and individual donors to channel their contributions through R3 to increase their impact by triggering the KBDF match.”
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Category: Local News
Such donations will buy you favourable treatment. The Government should not accept funds from private organizations or individuals.
You mean like personal loans between Cabinet colleagues?
Is this permitted under whatever code of conduct ‘Government’ should be adhering to. Public Officers are not allowed to accept gifts. Opposition, where art thou.
What a WASTE of R3 Funds???
They were set up to help organizations that do not have GOVT funds for Disaster Recovery, Foster Homes, Domestic abuse, the elderly and youth at Risk.
Sad to see this R3 Board pandering for votes, PR, and helping a CI Govt entity that have their own budget?
R3 now loses my charity support if they are going to support government departments – sad 🙁
I suspect the Simpson group’s insistence that it be used towards jurisdictional security matters was to ensure they don’t have to pack up and take their operation elsewhere. Like they did when they abandoned Barbados for Cayman.
Money moves fast and government moves slow.
Questions brought up at today’s lunch –
Doesn’t the RCIPS and CBC have government funding for upgrading? With all of the duties and taxes paid to government, why is there a need for a private donor to give money for security?? When it should always be #1 priority, always having the latest technologies whenever possible.
Doesn’t seem like funding was forthcoming from government we think. Can we get an explanation on why private funds, donations in this case was used??? It could have gone to help the less fortunate even more so than stated in their daily struggles with living poor and grasping for the next payday/income hoping to have a little left over for some joy, stress free day or so.
Anyway, I’m all for nation security, but why the hell is this partially funded by private donations? The request to give by the individual/’Simpson Group’ should have been denied as it’s smelling like there’s something else at play that’s unseen by the general public. What’s the long term costs of continued “AI” licensing and who’s the seller of equipment?? Simpson Group, what’s their main goal, end game??? Are they in the security/AI business???? !
I remain suspicious.
And the comment about the streamlining of importation and allowing for quicker package clearance with Customs. Don’t make me laugh. I’ll eat my left slipper (it’s the less worn out one) if that ever comes true.
The cost of the new ($80k each) Tahoes that the Ministers bought for themselves to use as their own vehicles would have covered this.
This doesn’t make a good impression!
And of course the Government thinks this gesture shows how good it is to receive donations if this type that does not have any semblance of a coflict of interest. Dhss as Megillah na decided for UPM the most disgraceful government these islands have ever had.
As one senior politician said… “the voters has a very short memory”
Insanity. The government could and should have been doing these things for years. How many millions did we pay for CCTV? How many millions did we pay for machine readable license plates? Why is there no radar on the Bluff?
That a private sector charity has to step in is nothing short of an embarrassing.
Thank you DART.
Because a radar mounted at 150 feet has an optical horizon of just 15 nautical miles, and if you’re hoping for beyond-horizon detection due to atmospheric bounce, you might get about 17-20 nautical miles of range.
Still a little dot on the ocean’s map.
Yes, powerful radars exist like the weather radar that can go beyond 20 miles, but that’s because it looks up into the sky. You aren’t going to detect a Jcan dingy further than 20 miles (or Spot Bay to Blossom Village) with a graphical resolution higher than an Atari.
And who ga pay fa dat military tech upkeep? We can’t even manage a weather station half the year.
20 Miles would be plenty to spot comings and goings to the Sister Islands. Put another at East End, another in West Bay, and another in SW Point, and we are covered.
Insane that these were still wide open capability gaps waiting to be filled by private donors. Who is conducting the performance reviews?!?
Performance review? What dat is?
Dump mitigation, future waste management and FINALLY real and actual recycling of aluminium, glass and plastic should be Cayman’s primary focus. This is far more important to the future of Caymanians than anything else. Our economy hinges upon these things, as well as our ecology.
Questions brought up at today’s lunch –
Doesn’t the RCIPS and CBC have government funding for upgrading? With all of the duties and taxes paid to government, why is there a need for a private donor to give money for security?? When it should always be #1 priority, always having the latest technologies whenever possible.
Doesn’t seem like funding was forthcoming from government we think. Can we get an explanation on why private funds, donations in this case was used??? It could have gone to help the less fortunate even more so than stated in their daily struggles with living poor and grasping for the next payday/income hoping to have a little left over for some joy, stress free day or so.
Anyway, I’m all for nation security, but why the hell is this partially funded by private donations? The request to give by the individual/’Simpson Group’ should have been denied as it’s smelling like there’s something else at play that’s unseen by the general public. What’s the long term costs of continued “AI” licensing and who’s the seller of equipment?? Simpson Group, what’s their main goal, end game??? Are they in the security/AI business???? !
I remain suspicious.
And the comment about the streamlining of importation and allowing for quicker package clearance with Customs. Don’t make me laugh. I’ll eat my left slipper (it’s the less worn one) if that ever comes true.
Kenny is building a multimillion dollar park with a $36,000 wishing well.
Juju building a 50 million dollar school on the Brac and and 8 million dollar apartment block for the WP workers of said school;
DART is “giving” the police and border control over 300k to secure our border.
Our government is buying votes while private entities are buying our government.
Unbelievable. Well … scratch that… not really. It’s very believable in Cayman.
And we accept, accept and nothing ever gets done. We keep voting the same corrupted menaces every 4 years!
Well done all concerned.
Shameful however that our self serving government wastes so much on vote buying nonsense, leaving private donors to pick up the tab for essential services that benefit the community as a whole.
Is it a donation or a purchase of our government?
wonderland stuff…
this pathetic government wastes a $1bn per year and still needs private handouts for its basic services and operations.