Emergency calls spike post COVID-19 restrictions: City of Cape Town

The City of Cape Town says emergency calls have spiked following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.

Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security JP Smith says there were nearly 200 000 recorded complaints in the 2021/22 period.

Smith says they’ve noticed an increase in medical incidents, noise complaints, and assault cases. He says the latest report shows a significant drop in reported incidents of domestic violence.

“The increase in domestic violence and abuse calls during the period essentially validates the concerns at the time that people spending far more time in each other’s space could result in an increase in such incidents. The increase in noise complaints was because we were relegated to our homes for long periods, and noise complaints are common in domestic settings, like loud music or parties.  Sadly the post-pandemic upswing in calls for help or complaints about anti-social behaviour shows that nothing much has changed.”