“Unfortunately, criminals exploit moments of opportunity. Incidents such as break-ins, robberies, and home invasions often happen so quickly that homeowners have very little time to react,” said Charnel Hattingh, Group Head of Marketing and Communications at Fidelity Services Group. “A panic button provides immediate access to emergency assistance—especially in moments when reaching for a phone or making a call isn’t possible. It can also be critical in medical emergencies, where every second matters.”

Panic buttons are most effective when integrated into a layered home security system that includes alarms, CCTV, and regular security patrols. These devices offer a direct line to a security provider, ensuring the rapid deployment of armed response units without the need to dial a number during a crisis or when incapacitated.

Hattingh also highlighted that panic buttons aren’t just for crime-related emergencies:
“Many of our call-outs are actually for medical incidents. Having a panic button within reach ensures that help can be summoned quickly—whether due to an intruder, a fall, or a sudden health issue.”

Fidelity Services Group offers the following tips to maximise the value of your panic button:

• Know where they are: Install panic buttons in frequently used areas like bedrooms, kitchens, and living rooms
• Test regularly: Ensure your panic button is functioning correctly through regular tests
• Go mobile: Consider a mobile panic button for use when you’re outdoors or away from home
• Educate your family: Make sure all household members know how and when to use the panic button
• Connect directly: Confirm that your panic button is linked directly to your security provider for the fastest response possible.

“Security is about being proactive,” concluded Hattingh. “A panic button may be a small addition to your home’s security setup, but it can make an enormous difference in an emergency. It’s not just about peace of mind—it’s about knowing that when something goes wrong, help is already on the way. By equipping your home with this simple yet powerful tool, you’re giving yourself and your loved ones the best possible chance to stay safe.”

The post Why every home should have a panic button appeared first on ProtectionWeb.

In a recent parliamentary reply, South African Police Service (SAPS) national commissioner General Fannie Masemola revealed that the most number of dropped calls in the country were to the 10111 Command Centre in Midrand.

During that period, over 4.1 million calls were made to the emergency line in Midrand.

At the time, dropped calls to other centres in the country were between 9500 and over 360000.

Masemola explained in his reply that the system registered dropped calls as abandoned calls.

“In terms of the CISCO manual, an abandoned call is considered abandoned if it is not answered by an agent or the caller hangs up before being connected to an agent or the call is disconnected. This includes situations where the caller hangs up while queued and waiting. A high number of abandoned calls might be an indication that callers are waiting in the queue due to reasons further explained below.”

“Abandoned calls can also include silent voice calls, a false report, a prank call, misdialled calls, misrouted calls, alternate routed calls, medical and other emergencies and crime related emergencies.”

Calls abandoned 10 seconds are all the calls that are terminated by the caller within a period of 10 seconds before the call could be transferred to a call taker.

Calls abandoned in more than 10 seconds are calls terminated by the caller after a period of 10 seconds before the call could be transferred to a call taker.

Calls abandoned at agents indicate all the calls that are terminated by the caller and which have already been transferred to a call taker to answer.

Masemola said the SAPS was not able to provide the actual number of deployed personnel at the 10111 command centres, as it may compromise the operational effectiveness of the SAPS and undermine the safety and security of deployed personnel.

However, he provided percentages which showed that the number of personnel were less than half of what was “ideal.”

“In determining the organisational structure of the service, which incorporate business units like the 10111 Call Centres, Organisational Development (OD) will perform a work study investigation to determine theoretically the ‘ideal number’ of posts’ required to perform a specific function. The ‘ideal number of posts’ does not constitute the fixed establishment of the service. The ideal situation refers to the number of resources which the SAPS should ideally have to perform a specific function/responsibility.”

“A “fixed establishment” means the system designed to determine the requirements regarding post establishments and physical resources and compares the actual situation with the funded situation in a specific financial year in order to identify shortages or surpluses (It further refers to the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) that determines the number of funded posts allocated to the Service within a specific time frame.”

“In other words, it means the resources which the Service should allocate to a particular component, for specific functions or responsibilities, for a specific period). “Funded posts” means the number of posts funded in terms of the current budget and Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for a specific year,” he said.

Masemola said the SAPS was in the process of concluding on a revised Fixed Establishment (FE) for the 2024/2025 financial year in line with the adjusted budget apportioning.

“The revised fixed establishment will absorb a total of 535 additional new entry-level constables who have been allocated to the 10111 call centres.”

The post Over 1.2 million calls to Gauteng 10111 line dropped in a year appeared first on ProtectionWeb.