The newly-established local municipality of Ray Nkonyeni in the South African province Kwa-Zulu Natal has partnered Chinese multinational ICT solutions and services provider Hytera Communications to roll out a digital call handling system.

The system replaces old-fashioned paper documents - and according to the technology firm, is already making it easier for citizens to report crime; and for the police and other authorities to process incidents and, ultimately, solve crimes.

Hytera explains that previously people wishing to report a crime either had to visit the municipal government office in person, or make a telephone call. “The office clerks then recorded the crime information on paper documents which often became hard to locate and lost occasionally,” says the company.

A solution was needed to digitise crime reporting and thereby increase reporting accuracy and make it easier to locate documents.

Hytera supplied and installed its online Call Taking and Handling System (CTHS). The team then customised its proprietary software to meet Ray Nkonyeni’s specific needs.

These include:

• Faster responses to emergency calls and the ability to immediately dispatch police officers to an incident.
• Timeline-based tracking and recording of incidents: including status changes, actions performed, and the ability to play voice recordings online. Supervisors can also monitor call takers and join outgoing calls.
• Clear and easy access to documents and reports, including historical cases tracking and management.
• The ability to generate call and incident statistics that help monitor progress; and identify where further improvements can be made.
• The preservation of resources like paper, which helps to protect the environment.
• Reduced costs. The new Hytera digital system is now enabling the Ray Nkonyeni municipality to save hundreds of thousands of rand annually.

Hytera has over 100 offices globally and has ten global innovation and development centres located in China, Germany, UK, Spain and Canada.

Ken Lin, Deputy Director of Hytera Southern Africa, said “We are delighted to welcome another African municipal customer to the Hytera family. Through our partnership with Ray Nkonyeni Municipality we are using technology to improve life for both citizens and police employees.”

Selwyn Naidoo, Chief Manager of the Fire, Rescue & Disaster department of Ray Nkonyeni said, “We are very happy to use the Hytera Smart Call Taking and Handling System. It really helps us to improve the efficiency of working internally and dealing with all the incidents from the Municipality.”