Software delay for MARCO Alert system

As of Wednesday, May 19, 2021

NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames. Photo: Donovan McIntosh/Tribune Staff

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

NATIONAL Security Minister Marvin Dames said officials are waiting to receive “mass communication software” that will send out warnings about missing children to facilitate the roll-out of the Mandatory Action Rescuing Children Operation (MARCO) Alert system.

“I would’ve announced a few months ago that the system is up and running,” he told reporters when asked for an update yesterday. “We’re now waiting on the mass communication software that Cabinet would’ve approved and that software will give us the ability to send mass communications out across the length and breadth of this nation.

“Additionally, it will allow us to geo-fence if we need to (and) if there’s an incident in a particular area on a particular island, we will have that ability but what is good is despite the fact we have multiple providers, this system will allow us to cross over providers and so if you have a cell phone wherever in the Bahamas, it will allow us to send emergency messages instantaneously.”

After the murder of 11-year-old Marco Archer in 2011, a law was enacted allowing authorities to send notifications alerting the public to missing children, dubbed the MARCO Alert.

While the system was rolled out by the Christie administration, it is unclear if it was ever used. It was set for an overhaul by the Minnis administration.

In 2019, Mr Dames said the government had committed $3.05m over three years for the MARCO Alert. A contract was later signed between the government and Multimedia Technologies for the system in late August of that year.

According to the latest Royal Bahamas Police Force statistics, there were 100 missing person reports filed in 2020.

Of those figures, Police Commissioner Paul Rolle had said previously, 88 of those required no further action from officers, but he added that 11 cases are still being investigated.

WETHEPEOPLE 3 years, 6 months ago

3.2 million huh? I wonder who pockets were laced. Its like these people are living back in the 90s. This technology is so old, that i find it hard to believe 3.2 millions dollars was needed for it. And a contract awarded for what? This system dosent need to be monitored. When a situation arrives, have that lazy police who is sitting in the office getting fat, hit the send button. Tada! Atleast 2.5 million saved

DDK 3 years, 6 months ago

Buncha crooks, not even smart crooks🤪 They keep spending like they have it in ther back pockets, which they probably do. POOR Bahamas 😡

ThisIsOurs 3 years, 6 months ago

3.05 million wow. They saw this cabinet coming. they could get multiple products off the shelf to send out sms messages as well as other channels. they could have paid a local software development company 100k to do the same work. Better yet they could have just gone to crimestoppers and said We want to use what you have. 3.05 million??? These guys are completely lost when it comes to software or someone just earned 3.02 million in finders fees. more of the same on the 30 million dollar digitization effort.

DDK 3 years, 6 months ago

"I would've announced three months ago"... Well why the hell didn't you???

ThisIsOurs 3 years, 6 months ago

telerivit 20,000 messages per day, 100,000 contacts. $480 per month. that leaves about 3 million, 195,000 in change?

Again who in the ministry of finance is advising them on technology?

DDK 3 years, 6 months ago

Is this a feeble attempt at transparency??

WETHEPEOPLE 3 years, 6 months ago

Remind me of the absurd amount of money they paid for the new police hot wheel cars. I can remember the amount was ridiculous! And when i went online to look at the price of the new police cars, we should have had alot more cars for the money they spent. Once again someones pockets were laced

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