Nearly 1.8 million calls to police emergency number 10111 go unanswered

Nearly 1.8 million calls to the South African Police Service (SAPS) emergency number were abandoned during the 2025/26 financial year, meaning thousands of people potentially struggled to reach police assistance when they needed it most.

The figures were disclosed by Acting Police Minister Firoz Cachalia in a written parliamentary response to Democratic Alliance (DA) MP Ian Cameron, who chairs Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police.

According to the response, 1 790 428 calls were abandoned out of approximately nine million calls received nationally.

That translates to almost 5 000 abandoned calls every day, with roughly one in every five attempts failing to connect successfully.

For someone reporting an armed robbery, an assault or a life-threatening situation, the inability to reach emergency services could have devastating consequences.

The figures have particular significance for Cape Town, where the Maitland police emergency call centre recorded 377 121 abandoned calls over the financial year.

This means almost three out of every 10 calls presented to the centre were abandoned.

The figures raise questions about the capacity of one of the Western Cape’s important police communication facilities to respond to the volume of people seeking assistance.

Another concerning example emerged in Port Shepstone, where 56.4% of calls were abandoned. According to Cameron, the centre recorded more abandoned calls than answered calls for three consecutive years.

The situation is made worse by the fact that SAPS reportedly cannot provide three years of historical call data for Maitland because of a system error.

For communities across the country, these figures highlight a problem that goes beyond statistics. Emergency communication systems are often the first point of contact when residents face immediate danger, making reliability essential.

Cachalia acknowledged that the number of operators available to handle incoming calls is insufficient to meet public demand.

He described the ratio of operators to incoming calls as ‘severely inadequate’, conceding that some people facing life-threatening emergencies are unable to connect with available staff.

According to the minister, calls are abandoned for different reasons. Some callers hang up after waiting too long in a queue, while others are disconnected by the system.

The minister also identified hoax calls, nuisance complaints and general enquiries as additional pressures on the emergency communication network.

These calls consume valuable operator time and can make it harder for people reporting genuine emergencies to get through.

Cameron has criticised the figures, arguing that the scale of abandoned calls exposes serious weaknesses in the country’s police emergency response system.

He said the latest parliamentary response confirms concerns that have repeatedly been raised about staffing shortages, unreliable equipment and problems affecting police emergency communications.

Cameron also highlighted the human consequences of people being unable to reach police officers when they are in danger.

He described the situation as unacceptable, arguing that 10111 should function as a dependable emergency service rather than leaving callers uncertain about whether anyone will answer.

The DA MP said his party intends to request a recovery plan from the Acting Police Minister and the National Police Commissioner.

The proposed plan would need to include clear staffing requirements, properly functioning communication systems, measurable performance targets and deadlines for improvements.

The demand places further pressure on SAPS leadership to explain how it intends to address the shortcomings and restore public confidence in the emergency service.

In Cape Town, where communities regularly raise concerns about crime and public safety, reliable emergency communication is particularly important.

The latest figures also raise questions about how SAPS monitors abandoned calls, identifies overloaded centres and ensures that vulnerable communities are not left without access to assistance.

The abandoned-call figures add to ongoing concerns about the operational challenges facing SAPS and the public’s ability to access emergency assistance.

Although Cachalia has acknowledged the staffing problem and outlined some of the pressures affecting call centres, the immediate concern remains whether meaningful improvements will follow.