More assaults, prank calls to emergency centre reported in Cape Town between July 2022 and June 2023

The City of Cape Town’s Public Emergency Communication Centre (PECC) recorded more than 215 000 incidents between July 2022 and June this year.

Of all calls, 91% were answered within 10 seconds.

The total number of incidents logged (215 736) increased by 14% year-on-year (from 189 689).

“While it is encouraging to see how many people make use of the emergency communication centre, it’s disappointing and incredibly concerning to see the increases in incident categories linked to our social fabric. The level of interpersonal violence, and specifically gender-based violence, should sound alarm bells,” Mayco member for safety and security, JP Smith, said.

“A review of the statistics month-on-month shows clear spikes over December and January – exposing the dark underbelly of what is meant to be one of the most joyous periods of the year.”

No joke

The centre logged more than 13 000 prank calls during the period.

“We have made a concerted effort in recent years to increase public awareness about the centre, and it appears that an unfortunate byproduct of those efforts is the massive increase in prank calls.

“I truly hope the public can appreciate the very serious matters our call takers have to deal with daily – there is no place, or time, to joke around,’’ Smith said.

The emergency centre is a critical element in the City’s public safety efforts, including its festive season safety plan.

The centre provides a 24-hour call taking service for all life and property threatening incidents, with 67 call takers who work on a shift basis. They can route requests to the relevant emergency service providers including fire and rescue, police, traffic service or ambulance.

The more information you can provide, the quicker responders can get to you.

When you make the call: be ready with the details of the emergency; stay calm; and do not hang up until you are told to.

When you phone from a landline, the emergency communication centre will be able to see: where you are calling from; what your telephone number is; who the subscriber is of the phone being called from; and which service area you are in.

Call 107 from a landline and 021 480 7700 from a cellphone.