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Ex SAPS commissioner Dr Johan Burger: 'many workers at 10111-emergency phones are not trained cops and even ask complainants for their phone numbers so that they can call them back to get directions to the crime-scenes…’

“Even if you did get a reply at the SA emergency 10111 call-centres, your still is ‘only half-won’ at that point, commented ex-SAPS commissioner, now Institute of Security Studies senior advisor Dr Johan Burger: “Many of the people working at the 10111 emergency call-centres are not trained police officers – and many police officers complain to me about the poor quality of responses at 10111,’ he told Rapport newspaper. “Things now are so bad that the call-centre personnel ask the complainants’ telephone numbers so that they can get the proper directions to a crime scene. This means that the telephone lines – meant only for emergency calls – are being overloaded and abused and this causes a lot of people to get into trouble because they cannot reach 10111 in time. Now people increasingly rely on neighbourhood-watches and private security companies and it’s a good idea to join them, especially after yo can’t get any responses from the police after trying them first’. http://www.rapport.co.za/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/Swemheld-wil-landuit-20120609
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ONE EXAMPLE OF 10111 EMERGENCY CALL CENTRE NOT RESPONDING TO ROBBERY-IN-PROGRESS EMERGENCY:
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2012-06-09 SA Olympic gold-medalist swimming champ Lyndon Ferns considers emigrating with wife Cara: SAPS emergency number 10111 did not respond to emergency call during armed-robbery attempt by blue-light gang:

Another SA Olympics Cameron van der Burgh (24), was also attacked with his family in his Waterkloof Glen, Pretoria a month earlier.