Callers to Cumbria Police's delay-hit 101 line had to wait an average of more than EIGHT minutes to get through last month.

Force chiefs revealed the amount of time people were left hanging on the phone for this service as they detailed a surge in 999 calls over the summer - fuelled by the ongoing terror threat.

The county's crime commissioner earlier this month said concerns over the 101 number - used to relay information about crimes as serious as deaths, robberies and rapes - were "probably the most common" he dealt with.

His admission followed an investigation earlier this year by CN Group, which revealed callers at that time were left waiting up to six minutes for someone to answer the phone.

Now officers have revealed the results for last month - which climbed to an average of eight minutes and 22 seconds.

They added this month the average waiting time had gone down and was below five minutes.

Chiefs said the force had seen unprecedented levels of demand over the summer.

This exceeded even the emergency calls received during Storm Desmond, which brought the catastrophic flooding in December 2015.

Cumbria Police pointed out how the head of the National Police Chief’s Council, Sara Thornton, spoke out last week about the "unsustainable strain" being put on police forces following the recent terrorist incidents and threats, alongside rises in emergency calls to the police.

The force said its results were in line with this national trend, with a record number of 999 calls being received over the summer.

In December 2015 the force received 5,486 emergency calls via 999 when the county was hit with the floods.

But there were 5,890 and 5,690 received during July and August this year.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Webster said: "We have seen an increase in calls for service over the summer.
Assistant chief constable Mark Webster

"My officers and staff have dealt with a range of issues and responded quickly to the increased national security threat, protecting a number of high profile events over the county and responding to the highest ever level of 999 emergency calls.

"Often Cumbria Constabulary receives more than 1,000 phone calls a day and our priority is always the emergency calls for service.

"This summer, during our busiest period, I am reassured that we have typically answered 90 per cent of 999 calls in less than 10 seconds, with the average wait for people calling 999 being less than eight seconds."

But he added: "Our resources are finite and the decision, quite rightly, to prioritise 999 calls has consequences elsewhere, with there being an increase in waiting times on our non-emergency line, 101."

The force said its command and control room, unlike many police forces, was staffed by police officers.

This, it said, meant people's call were taken by an officer who could often resolve the issue there and then, rather than pass it on to someone else.

Mr Webster added: "While we are taking action to reduce call answering time on the non-emergency phone line, our resources are limited.

"The financial reality is that we cannot simply put more people into the room without affecting policing elsewhere."

Mr McCall spoke about the issue.


Peter McCall, police and crime commissioner for Cumbria He said: "Following the recent terrorist threats and incidents this summer, Cumbria has seen a significant increase in demand for the police, both in terms of visibility, calls for service and information.

"This situation has been exceptional - and Cumbria reflects the national trend highlighted last week."

He thanked people for their response to the force - adding information really made a difference.

Mr McCall added: "As a result, there may be times when 101 is not answered as quickly as we would all like.

"That said, I know from feedback I have received that the public do understand that during the period of heightened security this summer our police force has been stretched.

"This has been a factor in some delays getting through to 101."

He said the force's performance for answering 999 calls has remained consistently good and it was one of the top performing forces in the country.


Digital response to 101 demand

The county's crime commissioner revealed earlier this month that people could have the option of reporting crime through online web chats.

Mr McCall also flagged up the possibility of emailing officers - saying this was "much more efficient" and avoided delays.


Emergency calls - how it works

In an emergency people should dial 999. This is the fastest way to reach police, as well as the ambulance service and fire and rescue.

Your call should be answered within ten seconds.

For non-emergencies, dial 101. You can reach police to report crime and anti-social behaviour, provide information and seek advice.

The 101 phone line has a flat rate of 15p, meaning that callers will only be charged 15p for the call, however long they on the line.