Nothing festive about emergency call centre numbers
15 November 2023
As the City prepares for its busiest period of the year, a glimpse into the emergency call centre incidents of the past financial year shows that for many, there is not a lot of festive cheer over this period.
The City's Public Emergency Communication Centre (PECC) recorded more than 215 000 incidents between July 2022 and June 2023.
During the period, 91% of all calls were answered within 10 seconds.
The overall number of incidents logged increased by 14% year-on-year, and numerous sub-categories that are monitored on a regular basis too showed increases.
| CATEGORY | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | % DIFFERENCE |
| Total incidents recorded | 189 689 | 215 736 | 14% |
| Medical incidents | 84 383 | 90 023 | 7% |
| Assault | 9 822 | 11 162 | 14% |
| Prank calls | 7 291 | 13 098 | 80% |
| Noise complaints | 20 579 | 18 452 | -10% |
| Domestic Violence | 2 179 | 3 411 | 57% |
| Child abuse | 82 | 88 | 7% |
| Motor vehicle accidents | 4 085 | 4 828 | 18% |
| Pedestrian vehicle accidents | 1 460 | 1 826 | 25%
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'While it is encouraging to see how many people make use of the emergency communication centre, it's also 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. What makes matters worse is that 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.
'I am also very concerned about the increase in prank calls. We have made a concerted effort in recent years to increase public awareness about the PECC, 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 that our call takers have to deal with daily - there is no place, or time, to joke around,' said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
The PECC 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/or-property threatening incidents, with 67 call takers who work on a shift basis.
They are able to route requests to the relevant emergency service providers including fire and rescue, police, traffic service or ambulance.
The public is reminded that, the more information they are able to provide, the quicker responders are able to get to them.
A list of practical tips is available here: https://www.capetown.gov.za/Explore%20and%20enjoy/visitor-safety/emergencies/firstaid-and-emergencies
The PECC can be contacted by dialling 021 480 7700 from a cellphone or 107 from a landline.
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
