The National Commissioner heads the South African Police Service and is appointed by the President. The office sets national policy and commands the service; it does not investigate individual cases.
Writing to the National Commissioner about a case does not move it. A docket sits with the investigating officer at the station, and a complaint about how it is being handled goes to the station commander, then to the provincial service complaints office, then to the national complaints call centre.
Serious misconduct is not a SAPS complaint at all. Deaths in custody, deaths resulting from police action, torture, assault, rape by an officer and corruption go to IPID, the Independent Police Investigative Directorate, which is independent of SAPS and to which certain matters must be reported by law.
This page covers how to contact the South African Police Service in South Africa. The details below were taken from the official South African Police Service contact page rather than from any third-party directory.
ContactDetails.co.za is an independent directory. We are not the South African Police Service and cannot act on your behalf. Everything on this page is a routing aid so you reach the right official channel quickly.
The South African Police Service contact numbers
These routes were verified against the official South African Police Service contact page on 23 August 2026. Contact numbers do change, so confirm on the official page before relying on one for anything urgent.
| What it is for | Contact |
|---|---|
| SAPS head office switchboard | +27 12 393 1000 |
| Emergency, or a crime in progress | 10111 |
| Emergency from a mobile phone, free and no airtime needed | 112 |
| Crime Stop tip-off line, may stay anonymous | 08 600 10111 |
| National service complaints call centre | 0800 333 177 |
| Service complaints email | [email protected] |
| Service complaints fax | 012 393 5452 |
| SAPS head office switchboard | +27 12 393 1000 |
A station number is not an emergency number. Station landlines ring at a desk that may be occupied, and in an emergency the number to dial is 10111, or 112 from a mobile phone, which works free of charge without airtime and without a SIM card. Use the station number for a follow-up on a case, an affidavit, a certification or a firearm matter.
Self-service options before you call
- Check the official site at saps.gov.za, which carries the current contact details and any online enquiry form.
- Email to [email protected], which gives you a written record of what you asked and when.
- Calling outside peak times. Monday mornings and the hour after 17:00 are usually the worst for South African contact centres.
What to have ready before you call
- A clear one line summary of what you need resolved.
- Your account, order or reference number if you already have one.
- The identity document or account holder details, since most South African providers verify who you are before discussing an account.
- Dates, amounts and any error message exactly as it appeared.
- A pen and paper for the reference number. Ask for one every time, because without it a follow up call starts from nothing.
IPID: the independent route
- IPID is independent of SAPS, established by statute, and it investigates the police rather than being part of them.
- Certain matters must be reported to it by law: any death in police custody, any death resulting from police action, any discharge of an official firearm, torture, assault by an officer, and rape by an officer or of a person in custody.
- Its jurisdiction covers municipal police services as well as SAPS. A metro police officer’s serious misconduct has the same route.
- You may approach IPID directly. You do not need the station’s permission and you do not need to exhaust the SAPS complaints process first for the matters it must investigate.
- It investigates; it does not prosecute. IPID refers matters to the National Prosecuting Authority, which decides whether to charge.
Ordinary service complaints, such as rudeness or a docket not progressing, are not IPID matters. Those go to the station commander and then to the provincial service complaints office.
Complaints and escalation
If a first call does not resolve the matter, escalate through the station commander, then the provincial service complaints office, then the national service complaints call centre on 0800 333 177 or [email protected]. Serious misconduct goes to IPID, which is independent of SAPS. The Civilian Secretariat for Police Service oversees SAPS policy and performance, and the Public Protector investigates maladministration where a complaint has not been properly dealt with.
Keep a short written log of each contact: the date, the channel you used, the name of the agent and the reference number. Most policing complaint processes ask for exactly that history, and having it ready is usually the difference between a fast resolution and starting over.
Avoiding fake South African Police Service contact numbers
Contact details for well known South African brands are a common target for impersonation. Numbers that look official appear in search ads, social media replies and cloned websites, and the person answering is not the South African Police Service.
- Reach South African Police Service through the official site at saps.gov.za rather than through a number in a search advert or a social media reply.
- The South African Police Service will never ask you for your full card number, PIN, CVV, online banking password or a one time PIN. Nobody legitimate needs those to help you.
- Treat any caller who creates urgency, asks you to install remote access software, or asks you to move money to a safe account as fraudulent, and end the call.
- If you are unsure whether a call was genuine, hang up and dial the official number yourself rather than calling back a number the caller gave you.
Related contact pages
Frequently asked questions
What is the South African Police Service contact number?
The routes are listed in the table above, with what each one is for. The main route is 10111. Confirm it on saps.gov.za before relying on it, since numbers are changed from time to time.
How do I know a South African Police Service number is genuine?
Check it against the official site at saps.gov.za. A number that only appears in a search advert, a social media reply or a third-party directory should not be trusted for anything involving your account, your money or your identity document.
What should I do if nobody resolves my query?
Ask for the complaint reference and the escalation path on your first call, then follow the escalation route described above. Keep the dates, agent names and reference numbers, because every formal complaint process will ask for them.
Can ContactDetails.co.za resolve this for me?
No. We are an independent directory, not the South African Police Service, and we have no access to your account. Everything here is a routing aid so that you reach the correct official channel with the right information in hand.
Is there a cost to calling these numbers?
South African 0860 and 0861 numbers are charged at a share-call or standard rate depending on your provider, and 0800 numbers are toll free from a landline. Calls from a mobile are billed at your own operator’s rate, so check your plan if cost matters.
Contact routes on this page were checked against the official South African Police Service source on 23 August 2026. If you find a detail that has changed, the official source is always the authority.