Cape Town experiences an increase in emergency calls after a two-year decline

Cape Town’s public emergency communication centre (PECC) has seen a surge in calls for assistance.

Mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said the increase follows a two-year decline during Covid-19 lockdowns. .

The PECC recorded between 235,000 and 240,000 incidents a year before 2020. The number dropped to just more than 185,000 in 2020/21, with dramatic decreases in those for medical assistance, assault cases, and motor vehicle and pedestrian accidents, he said.

“The PECC statistics over the past four years reflect the turn that the world and our lives took. The big drop in trauma cases came about because of the curfews, and ban on alcohol sales and social activities. The increase in domestic violence and abuse calls during the period essentially validates the concerns at the time that people spending far more time in each other’s space could result in an increase in such incidents,” said Smith.

The increase in noise complaints was because people “were relegated” to their “homes for long periods, and noise complaints are common in domestic settings, like loud music or parties, the use of loud machinery, dogs barking incessantly and so forth”, he added.

“Attributing the drop in calls to greater accountability and tolerance would have been much preferred, but sadly the post-pandemic upswing in calls for help or complaints about antisocial behaviour shows that nothing much has changed. So we continue working to ensure this critical arm of our safety and security basket of services lends a hand to people when they need it most.”

Smith said education and awareness were an important part of the PECC's function. He said the PECC carried out 189 such interventions in the previous fiscal year to highlight the work the centre does. Most importantly, the centre educated the public about information that needed to be conveyed in an emergency situation.

“Many of our emergency communicators will tell you that one of the most common holdups is people’s inability to provide a correct location, or landmark that helps direct emergency vehicles. We’ve also come to understand that even when help is on the way, those first responders often struggle to find the address because some properties are not numbered.

“Recently, we have started partnering with neighbourhood watches on a campaign to ensure that every house has a street number on their property. While this is required in the city’s bylaws, more importantly, it could be the difference between life or death.”

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