Police’s 10111 office grounded by virus

THE 10111 emergency call centre in Maitland has been closed and the Flying Squad grounded after two staff members tested positive for the coronavirus.

According to national police spokesperson Brigadier Vish Naidoo, the call centre was closed on Wednesday after staff members – a sergeant and a constable from separate shifts – were confirmed to have contracted the virus.

Naidoo said calls to the 10111 centre were being rerouted to various cluster command centres to ensure that service delivery continued.

“All evacuation, screening and testing and decontamination processes began at the centre. We are just waiting for the 48 hours to pass, so we should have the call centre up and running by 6pm today,” he said.

The quarantine of the Flying Squad and the 10111 call centre in the Western Cape means no vehicles and members of the unit will be able to perform patrols.

The Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union’s spokesperson Richard Mamabolo said any closure of a station presents a challenge to the local community it served. However, the lives of the officers are equally as important.

DA MPL Reagen Allen said the role of the police during the lockdown could not be understated “as the police face daily uphill battles when they are expected to provide an efficient service, in the face of extreme staff shortages”.

SA Police and Allied Workers Union’s president Bonga Makuliwe appealed to the government to ensure that personal protective equipment is always available in order for the officers to render the services without fear of contamination.

A police officer in Hermanus and another in Athlone also tested positive with Covid-19, forcing the two stations to be temporarily closed.