101 calls anguish

A CALLER waited 78 minutes for police to answer the phone before giving up.

The call to the 101 non-emergency line was one of 43,596 in which fed-up callers hung up.

Average pick-up time has soared from 18 seconds to one minute, 30 seconds in four years to the service in Avon and Somerset.

Crime Commissioner Sue Mountstevens said: “I will be continuing to invest in this vital service.”