By KHRISNA RUSSELL

Tribune Chief Reporter

krussell@tribunemedia.net

CABLE Bahamas Group of Companies officials said initial testing of the MARCO Alert system was successful on its platform on Monday.

Dwayne Davis, chief information officer for Cable Bahamas, said there will be a full test with the Ministry of National Security soon, as several more tests of the system are required before full deployment.

“The ALIV engineering team was able to successfully test the alert system in a limited environment over a short period of time,” Mr Davis said in a press statement yesterday. “We anticipate a full test with the Ministry of National Security very shortly.”

The MARCO Alert, which stands for Mandatory Aggressive Action for Rescuing Children Operation (MARCO) alert system, was established after the murder of 11-year-old Marco Archer in 2011 when he went missing near his home.

The system is designed to alert citizens across The Bahamas electronically when a child goes missing to heighten public awareness and increase the chances of recovering them safely.

This system will allow for broadcast messages to be deployed over various platforms, including cell phones, pagers, emails, and television channels countrywide.

The test comes after National Security Minister Wayne Munroe, QC, told reporters last week that ALIV, a company under Cable Bahamas’ umbrella, was the only communications provider in the country ready for the launch of the alert system.

Company officials said ALIV continued to demonstrate its commitment to support local law enforcement and to deepen its commitment as a world class partner in corporate and social responsibility by moving ahead with its initial testing of the system.

Additionally, ALIV CEO John Gomez said the company stood ready to assist in any national effort to protect children.

“The ALIV team stands ready and committed to assist the Ministry of National Security along with social service agencies with any efforts that help protect children in the Bahamas,” Mr Gomez said. “We extended critical support to the development of this initiative because the safety of our nation’s children is critical to us all.

“We are pleased with the system’s performance so far and we look forward to further testing in alternate environments.”

The official rollout of the MARCO Alert technology is expected within the next few weeks, the company has said.