Matthews - who previously expressed a preference to use non-radar charter vessels manned by law enforcement officers to patrol the waters - told the COI that Chalwell offered the barge as a radar platform at an initial cost of $17,500 per day.
“Well, as you can see, as it’s indicated in there, it took me completely by surprise because up until that point, there had been no conversation that I could recall or within the National Security Council around the use of static barges or any proposal,” the former Commissioner stated. Matthews was asked to speak on the matter when he appeared before the Commission of Inquiry (COI) recently.Īnd in an email read aloud during a recent hearing of COI, Matthews is cited as writing, “… such use of private vessels, my view is that for such high sums of money we should go out to tender and let others bid”.Īddressing the COI directly, the former top cop also said he was surprised at Chalwell’s offer since a request for the radar platforms was never put into the public domain and was only up for discussion at the National Security Council (NSC) and Joint Task Force (JTF) level at the time. Government had hired the shipping company to host radar equipment to assist the territory in detecting smuggling activity when the territory’s borders closed because of the pandemic last year. Former Police Commissioner Michael MatthewsĪfter seeing an unsolicited offer for radar platforms from EZ Shipping’s owner, Clyde Chalwell, former Police Commissioner Michael Matthews had suggested for government to allow others to present bids.