Over 4 Million Emergency Calls Made to Gauteng Police: Many Go Unanswered

High Call Volumes but Many Unanswered

Gauteng’s 10111 call centre, based in Midrand, has consistently received more than four million emergency calls every year since 2020-21. In the most recent financial year, the centre handled 4.4 million calls, accounting for nearly half of all police emergency calls placed across the country. Despite this volume, 14% of callsapproximately 635,000were dropped or went unanswered in Gauteng alone.

Nationally, 8.9 million calls were made to police call centres during the 2025-26 financial year. Of these, about 1.7 million, or 20%, ended without being answered. On an average day in Gauteng, around 1,700 calls either drop or go unanswered.

Slow Response Times and Staff Shortages

The Midrand office was found to have the second-slowest response rate among all major call centres across South Africa. While a quick response can mean the difference between life and death in emergencies, callers in Gauteng wait an average of 13 seconds for assistance. Only the Maitland office in the Western Cape posted slower times, with a 26-second average wait. Meanwhile, call centres in Port Elizabeth and Hilton were the fastest, connecting callers within three to four seconds.

Insufficient staffing is cited as a primary reason for the backlog, with the police ministry noting that “the current ratio of 10111 call centre operators to incoming calls is severely inadequate to meet public demand.”

Many calls are logged as “abandoned,” either because citizens hang up after excessive waiting or because the system drops the line. This means that individuals experiencing real emergencies may be unable to reach help during critical moments.

Nuisance Calls Further Strain Resources

The police ministry stressed that a significant portion of operator time is consumed by non-emergencies.

“Operators spend a large portion of their limited capacity handling hoax calls, nuisance complaints, and general inquiries. This floods the lines and prevents individuals facing life-threatening situations from connecting to available staff.”

Authorities urged the public to use the 10111 number strictly for emergencies and to avoid clogging lines with unnecessary queries.

Efforts to Address Service Gaps

To improve call centre efficiency, regular training and disciplinary action against underperforming staff have been implemented. However, tracking the impact of these measures has proved difficult. The ministry explained that “the necessary statistics cannot always be retrieved due to limitations in the available systems for tracking accountability.”

While these efforts are ongoing, demand continues to outstrip capacity. In 2020-21, the Midrand centre received its highest volume: 4.8 million calls, with 1.69 million left unanswered or dropped. Since then, those figures have gradually declined but remain a pressing concern.

Gauteng Compared to Other Provinces

Among South Africa’s nine major police call centres, Gauteng handles the highest call volume, followed by Durban and Cape Town, the only other centres to process over a million calls in a one-year period. Despite its challenges, Gauteng reportedly outperformed Cape Town and Durban regarding the rate of dropped or unanswered calls: 29% of calls in Cape Town and 24% in Durban went unanswered, compared to 14% in Gauteng.

The Importance of Rapid Emergency Response

Effective emergency call handling can save lives, making quick connection and access to help critical. Prolonged waits or unanswered calls risk leaving victims in distress without timely assistance. Public awareness and responsible use of emergency numbers remain crucial alongside systemic improvements in staffing and processes.

• Gauteng’s 10111 call centre received 4.4 million calls in 2025-26
• 14% of these were dropped or unanswered (about 635,000 calls)
• Average wait time for answered calls is 13 seconds
• Insufficient staffing and nuisance calls add to service delays

As demand for emergency services grows, addressing these gaps in the call centre system remains an important priority for public safety in Gauteng and across the nation.