When 10111 doesn’t react

POLOKWANE – Frustrated and angry residents say it feels as if they are living in a lawless city when their calls to 10111 go ignored.

This follows after several people reportedly tried to contact the police on their emergency number, 10111, without success over the past weeks.

Residents said when they called 10111 there was either no answer or when their call was answered, the police promised to sent someone, but no one ever arrived.

Two weeks ago there was a burglary in Flora Park and the owner allegedly called 10111 but there was no response. “I called 10111 and the consultant said they would send someone immediately. No one came. Luckily I know the station commander of Polokwane police station and I called him and not much later the police arrived,” she said.

Residents from Nirvana and Westenburg say they have the same problem. “Burglaries are a huge problem in Nirvana and Westenburg. When we call 10111 the police never come or when they do respond it’s five or six hours after we called. By then a person could be lying dead.”

The resident added that there was an incident in Nirvana where they called 10111 and the Westenburg police station, but still there was no response. “We had to go to the police station ourselves to fetch a police officer to come to the crime scene,” he said.

Col Ronél Otto, provincial police spokesperson, said the 10111 call centre number was working, adding that the matter of better service would be looked into.

She advised residents to use alternatives such as contacting the nearest police station directly; identifying the sector manager in your area and ensuring you have his or her number; or having the police station commander’s number.