Durban North SAPS phone lines down for over a month due to cable theft

Police have urged people to still call 10111 if they are in distress, as they will contact Durban North SAPS via radio.


Durban North SAPS have confirmed cable theft on Norrie Crescent is the cause of their phone lines being down at the station.

According to Captain Raymond Deokaran, spokesperson for the SAPS, the station’s phone lines have been down for more than a month.

“We understand the frustration from residents in the area. We are in the process of trying to get Telkom to repair the phone lines as the situation is not ideal. We’ve reported the matter several times and we are looking at alternatives in order to establish communication lines.

“We are urging residents or people in distress to call 10111, who will then contact us via radio over any crime-related activity,” he said.

Some frustrated residents who’ve contacted Northglen News have said the situation was untenable.

One resident, who did not want to be named, slammed both Telkom and the Durban North police.

“If the phone lines are down, the station should look at purchasing a cell phone which is accessible to members in the charge office. I’ve grown increasingly frustrated because I’ve tried to make an appointment with one of the officers for gun licences, however, with the phone lines being down this has been impossible. Telkom needs to fix the problem and the station should be doing everything they can to open the channels of communication,” he said.

Cable and electricity theft costs the city more than R300 million annually.

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