Cape Town – Hanover Park residents are apparently making hoax calls to SAPS in a desperate attempt to have police visibility in the violence-torn area.
Voice clips have been making the rounds on social media about the fake ‘emergency calls’.
In one voice clip on WhatsApp groups, a person is asking for urgent assistance as two officers were shot in Hanover Park.
But in another message, purportedly from a police officer, he warns colleagues to ignore the cry for help: “Just a heads up. If you get any info from Hanover Park saying that a police officer has been shot, just ignore it. The community has been making false calls and sending false WhatsApp messages to get more police personnel there.”
A neighbourhood watch member, who did not want to be named because he fears for his safety, says residents are angered by police’s ‘min gespin’ response to gang violence.
“It seems our lives don’t matter. They can send in 230 police vans when an officer is shot and lock down Hanover Park, but cannot do the same when one of the residents are hurt," the concerned man says.
“How many more people need to die or must still get hurt?”
Mayoral Committee Member for Safety, Security and Social Services, JP Smith, has condemned the hoax calls, which he says has been around for weeks.
“We condemn this in the strongest possible terms as hoax calls are never acceptable," Smith says.
“False information helps no one and wastes resources by encouraging responses to false alarms."
“The actual voice clip is also false and is not a radio clip from any police or emergency service.”