The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) is deeply concerned about the unfilled vacancies in the South African Police Service (SAPS) emergency call centres (commonly known as 10 111 centres) which are alarmingly high. The revelation that only 41.31% of SAPS emergency call centres positions are filled means that 58,69% of posts are unfilled. This raises serious questions about the government’s commitment to public safety, efficient service delivery, and emergency response.
Let us note that people do not make emergency calls as a way of playing or fooling around but as a matter of safety distress from criminal attacks or domestic violence. The staff shortage in these call centres has led to a staggering number of abandoned calls and a shocking number of 14.9 million calls left unanswered since 2018/19 across 11 of the country’s 19 centres. This situation poses a significant risk to public safety, as many calls reporting safety emergencies or seeking assistance are not being attended to.
Examining the data provided by the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, it is evident that none of the call centres across the country are operating at their full capacity. Some provinces including the Free State, Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape and Kwa Zulu Natal, have unfilled vacancies of more than 60%. 10 111 centres such as in Queenstown in the Eastern Cape and Secunda in Mpumalanga are operating at alarmingly low levels, 8,2% and 14,2%.
Moreover, the impact of understaffing extends beyond emergency response times. It also affects the morale and well-being of the existing staff who are overburdened and unable to cope with the high volume of calls.
SAFTU recognizes the critical role that SAPS emergency call centres play in the efforts of combating crime and quick responses to ensure the safety and security of communities. We urge the government to take immediate action to address the staffing shortages in SAPS call centres. This includes prioritizing the recruitment and training of qualified personnel to fill vacant positions and ensuring adequate resources are allocated to support their operations.
The main factor that perpetuates the unfilling of vacancies in the 10 111 call centres is budget cuts from the National Treasury. Government’s devotion to neoliberal fiscal policy has led to the underfunding of public services, including a gradual defunding of the public services compensation bill. This affects the filling of vacancies not only in emergency service centres, but across the sub-divisions of SAPS, leading to a widened police-to-population ratio and dismal services to our people.
SAFTU calls on the government to abandon the fiscal austerity measures as they compromise the safety of communities due to a lack of response to emergency calls.
