Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says it is unacceptable that the SAPS 10111 emergency line has been unavailable in the city since Tuesday. The Mayor is urging residents experiencing emergencies to contact the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre on 021 480 7700. The Centre can dispatch Law Enforcement, Metro Police and Traffic Enforcement, while also relaying requests to SAPS and other relevant emergency services to ensure a rapid response.

‘The SAPS 10111 outage is unacceptable in our city. If no one is answering the calls, we will never turn the tide on crime. I urge residents with emergencies to call the City’s emergency centre on 021 480 7700. We have trained staff available to assist you 24/7 in English, Afrikaans or isiXhosa.

‘For people reporting crime, our emergency line can be used to dispatch Law Enforcement, Metro Police and Traffic Enforcement along with relaying the request to SAPS. Residents can also be connected with emergency medical services.

‘The continued unreliability of SAPS emergency lines and police station responses are a key reason why expanded policing powers are needed for City Police. The City will continue investing in our public safety resources to be ever stronger partners to SAPS and other emergency response agencies,’ said Mayor Hill-Lewis.

Alderman JP Smith, Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, said the goal of the PECC is to connect callers to the appropriate resource as quickly as possible.

‘The PECC responds to over 180 000 incidents annually, and has a team of 70 Emergency Communicators available on a 24/7 basis, working in shifts and offering assistance in all three of the Western Cape’s official languages. Requests for medical assistance remain the most prevalent at over 100 000 last year. However due to 10111 being unreliable, crime incident reporting has been increasing year-on-year, with City call-takers and resources doing their best within limited resources to ensure a response is forthcoming for residents despite issues with SAPS,’ said Alderman Smith.

Residents who are deaf and hard-of-hearing can also proactively register their details on the City of Cape Town mobile app, allowing them to send a distress signal in an emergency, which the system can pinpoint to their location and dispatch emergency services.

The City’s PECC staff are trained to help callers resolve their emergency as quickly as possible.

Callers are reminded to keep the following tips in mind:

• Ensure that you have the number saved on your mobile phone: 021 480 7700
• Make sure you have the information and details about the emergency ready
• Make sure you have the exact location of the incident