Violence and threatsSAPS
Assault, robbery, domestic violence, intimidation, armed threats, murder or attempted murder.
TownHubYour town. Connected.
Willowmore
Who handles what?
Not every community problem is a police matter. Use this guide to identify the responsible authority first, then create the correct report and keep its reference number for follow-up.
Emergency or immediate danger? Contact the appropriate emergency service directly. TownHub is a reporting and accountability tool, not an emergency-response service.
SAPS — crime and public safety
Use SAPS where conduct is criminal, threatens people or property, requires a criminal investigation, or creates an immediate public-order or safety risk.
Theft and property crimeSAPS
Burglary, theft, vehicle theft, malicious damage to property and fraud.
Drugs and organised crimeSAPS
Drug dealing, trafficking, organised criminal activity and illegal firearms.
TownHub can record or route information, but criminal investigation belongs to SAPS.
Serious illegal liquor activitySAPS + relevant liquor / municipal authority
Violence, criminal sale, dealing involving minors, stolen liquor or other suspected criminal conduct.
Immediate danger or public disorderSAPS
Fighting, violent disturbance, weapons, riotous conduct or an immediate threat to life or property.
Municipal law enforcement / by-law enforcement
Many everyday complaints are not primarily police matters. They fall under municipal powers, by-laws, traffic enforcement or municipal service departments.
Noise and public nuisanceMunicipality / by-law enforcement
Persistent excessive noise, nuisance premises, disruptive conduct that is not an immediate criminal threat.
Illegal dumping and wasteMunicipality
Dumping, refuse problems, litter hotspots and misuse of municipal waste facilities.
Street trading and trading rulesMunicipality / by-law enforcement
Unlawful street trading, trading outside authorised areas and municipal trading-rule breaches.
Spaza-shop and land-use complianceMunicipality
Land-use, zoning, building, signage and municipal trading compliance.
Food safety and health matters may also involve district environmental health authorities.
Animals and public nuisanceMunicipality / relevant animal-control body
Keeping of animals, stray animals, impoundment issues and animal-related nuisance under applicable by-laws.
Traffic and parkingMunicipal / provincial traffic authority
Illegal parking, local traffic contraventions, road traffic enforcement and unsafe driving.
Serious dangerous or criminal conduct can also require SAPS.
Liquor-premises complianceMunicipality + liquor authority
By-law nuisance, land-use issues, operating conditions and municipal controls around premises.
Criminal conduct remains a SAPS matter.
Municipal service departments
These are service-delivery matters. They should be logged with the responsible municipal department and tracked by reference number.
Water and sanitationMunicipality
Leaks, no water, sewer blockages, overflowing sewage and damaged water infrastructure.
Roads and stormwaterMunicipality
Potholes, damaged municipal roads, blocked stormwater systems and local drainage failures.
Electricity and streetlightsMunicipality / relevant electricity provider
Streetlights, local electrical faults, damaged municipal electrical infrastructure and outages.
Parks, public spaces and amenitiesMunicipality
Damaged facilities, neglected public spaces, municipal parks and local amenities.
Building and planningMunicipality
Suspected unauthorised building work, zoning, land-use and planning compliance.
Other responsible authorities
Some matters sit outside both SAPS and the local municipality. TownHub should route these to the correct authority rather than simply forwarding everything to police.
Environmental health and food safetySarah Baartman District Municipality / environmental health
Food-premises health compliance, certain environmental-health complaints and health inspections.
Fire and disaster incidentsFire / disaster-management services
Fires, hazardous incidents and disaster response.
Use emergency channels where there is immediate danger.
Provincial roadsProvincial roads authority
Defects on roads that are not municipal roads.
Housing deliveryProvincial housing authority
Housing construction and provincial housing programmes.
The municipality may administer beneficiary information but is not necessarily the authority building houses.
How TownHub should handle a report
Important distinction
SAPS has a constitutional mandate to prevent, combat and investigate crime, maintain public order, protect people and property, and enforce the law. The local municipality separately exercises municipal functions that include public nuisances, noise pollution, traffic and parking, street trading, refuse and solid waste, municipal roads, stormwater, street lighting and other local services.
Some incidents overlap. For example, a noisy liquor premises may involve a municipal nuisance or liquor-compliance issue, while violence, drug dealing or another criminal offence at the same premises is a SAPS matter. TownHub should preserve that distinction and can record both referrals when necessary.