'Decentralise 10111'
2009-12-15 12:11
Cape Town - The African Christian Democratic Party on Tuesday proposed the SA Police Service's (Saps) 10111 emergency number be "decentralised".
Citizens should have direct access to police stations during emergencies, ACDP leader Kenneth Meshoe said in a statement.
"The ACDP is shocked by the news that 10111 lines are down in Gauteng.
"Many people who are facing emergency, urgently needing police intervention may become victims of crime while they are waiting for the police to respond," he said.
"While we appreciate the police for informing the public about the problem, we nevertheless believe that this might be the right time to consider decentralising the 10111 care line."
It was a fact that when one called 10111 it took a long time to get a response, the party said.
The reason for this delay could be a large number of people calling the care line, with few operators attending to the calls.
The ACDP proposed that the 10111 be decentralised and localised.
Citizens should have direct access to the police stations during emergencies, rather than going through a call centre.
If the ACDP's proposal was implemented, the whole province would not be inconvenienced when one telephone line was down.
"The ACDP believes that decentralisation is always better because it brings services closer to the people," Meshoe said.
- SAPA