April 19, 2005
By Anish Abraham
JOHANNESBURG'S emergency call centre has seen a surge in hoax calls, which could pose a threat as they block access to those in life-threatening situations.
According to Joburg Connect's figures more than a third of the calls to the emergency call centre are hoaxes. The centre currently handles an average of 110 000 calls a month, and 40 percent of those are prank calls.
Such calls block the lines for legitimate calls. "The impact of these calls could lead to a loss of life when citizens try to report real life-threatening emergencies," warns Kgamanyane Maphologela, head of communications at Joburg Connect.
Maphologela denounced the hoax calls as malicious and said they placed the lives of the public, emergency and rescue personnel in jeopardy.
Within the past three months, the centre received two hoax calls regarding bomb threats at their building in Roodepoort, which was then evacuated. "Those two calls alone cost the City about 472 unanswered incoming calls, of which 455 were life-threatening," Maphologela said.
Johannesburg's ambulances, fire fighters and metro police respond to more than 20 000 calls a month, and hoax calls can place an extra burden on the members of those units.
Apart from costing ratepayers money, such calls also tie up resources. If emergency crews respond to a hoax, fewer people are available to deal with a real emergency.
Joburg Connect, along with the City's Emergency Management Services (EMS) and the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department, plans to work with schools and other educational institutions to teach people about the dangers and consequences of hoax calls.
The City is currently running two education programmes, Qaphela and BESAFE, aimed at teaching children what to do in case of emergencies and to refrain from abusing the system.
Joburg Connect has also placed advertisements on youth radio stations like YFm and Jozi FM, urging youngsters to refrain from placing hoax calls.
The call centre's statistics show an increase in hoax calls over the school holidays.
Maphologela warned that cases of hoax calls would be forwarded to the South African Police Service. "We will lay charges against any individuals involved in placing such calls," he warned.
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