Durban North SAPS phone lines down due to cable theft

Durban North SAPS have confirmed cable theft on Norrie Crescent is the cause of their phone lines being down at the station, Northglen News reports.

According to Captain Raymond Deokaran, spokesman for the SAPS, the station’s phone lines have been down for more than a month.

“We understand the frustration from residents in the area. We are in the process of trying to get Telkom to repair the phone lines as the situation is not ideal. We’ve reported the matter several times and we are looking at alternatives to establish communication lines. We are urging residents or people in distress to call 10111, who will then contact us via radio over any crime-related activity,” he said.

Some frustrated residents who’ve contacted the media have said the situation is untenable.

One resident, who did not want to be named, slammed both Telkom and the Durban North police.

“If the phone lines are down the station should look at purchasing a cell phone which is accessible to members in the charge office. I’ve grown increasingly frustrated because I’ve tried to make an appointment with one of the officers for gun licences, however, with the phone lines being down this has been impossible. Telkom needs to fix the problem and the station should be doing everything they can to open the channels of communication,” he said.

Cable and electricity theft costs the city more than R300-million annually.