A donation of US$1 million to the R3 Cayman Foundation will be going towards supplying law enforcement agencies with new imaging equipment.
The Simpson Group pledged a donation of US$1 million to the foundation and has requested that up to US$500,000 be designated for national security projects. The Kenneth B. Dart Foundation has matched this sum, so a total of $1 million will go towards the security equipment.
According to a press release from R3, based on a recommendation from the R3 Readiness Committee, the first programme funded by the security-focused donation will be the acquisition of imaging equipment by the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service. The equipment will also be used by Customs and Border Control.
R3 stands for ‘readiness, relief and recovery’. Each of these three elements has its own committee to concentrate on those areas. Richard Hew chairs the Readiness Committee and has been closely involved in this most recent donation.
He explained to the Compass how ‘Readiness’ fits in with national security, giving the example of issues that arose after the passage of Hurricane Ivan in Cayman in 2004.
“Within the first two or three days, it was pretty lawless. We were in a state of disaster and there were some criminals out there looting. It was very concerning,” he said.
He explained when the Simpson Group approached R3, it was with the intention of donating money to address security issues and to “keep Cayman as one of the safest jurisdictions in the world”.
He said the R3 Cayman Foundation’s Readiness mandate enabled preventative measures to reduce the impact of emergencies and disasters on the Cayman community, “which would include measures to mitigate the impact of violent crimes both under normal circumstances and in post-disaster situations”.
Donors to R3 can direct their financial contributions to be used in a particular area, with the foundation determining how to implement the project.
In this instance, the specific use of the national security-focused Simpson Group donation was identified by Governor Martyn Roper in collaboration with the government and relevant law enforcement agencies, R3 noted.
In the statement, David Simpson, managing director of the Simpson Group said, “The security of the Cayman Islands is of paramount importance to all who live or visit here, and we are grateful to be able to support His Excellency the Governor in efforts to contribute to the overall safety and well-being of the Islands.”
According to R3, Roper, as principal of the charitable foundation, has certain oversight powers under its constitution to ensure its good governance.
“R3 has asked the Governor for his advice on additional programmes R3 should support to enhance the national security of the Cayman Islands. Support for enhanced radar coverage of Cayman’s territorial waters is also being explored with the Cayman Islands Coast Guard,” it said.
The Compass reached out to RCIPS Deputy Commissioner Kurt Walton for further details on the type of equipment being considered and is awaiting a response.
More than 30 R3 Cayman Foundation donations
The private-sector-led group, seeded by a CI$1 million grant from the Kenneth B. Dart Foundation, was set up un May 2020 in response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Since its inception, it has donated to more than 30 local charitable organisations and governmental departments and authorities that provide emergency preparedness and relief for natural disasters and societal crises.
After the initial $1 million grant, the Dart foundation pledged an additional $4 million in matching contributions to those from other philanthropic foundations, corporations and individuals.
“The R3 Cayman Foundation has attracted donations nearing the original matching pledge of CI$4 million by the Kenneth B. Dart Foundation,” said Jackie Doak, the Dart foundation’s director.
“Inspired by this latest gift from the Simpson Group, the Kenneth B. Dart Foundation has raised its matching pledge with conviction that the Cayman community will continue its dedicated financial support of the skilled non-profit organisations that provide crisis support services.”
This brings to $6.5 million the amount the Dart foundation has donated via R3.
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