Police relying on WhatsApp amid Western Cape SAPS comms breakdown

Lester Kiewit speaks to Ian Cameron from Action Society SA.

Listen to the interview in the audio below.

In times of crisis or danger the first point of call should be dialling 10111.

However, those who have tried to call SAPS through this number recently have probably been left wanting.

According to Action society SA, the police in the Cape have had a communication system breakdown since last week.

This includes issues with their radio communications, which have been down since last Thursday.

“The radios that the SAPS are issued with in the Cape were issued in the 1980s and have never been replaced.”

- Ian Cameron, Action Society SA

This has left them relying on WhatsApp, which is not much help without signal and data.

Cameron says that if you call 10111 for a serious crime, the control room will be unable to contact the flying squad because of the system breakdown.

“If they are not in direct comms through something like WhatsApp, then there is no way of communicating.” 

- Ian Cameron, Action Society SA