Tens of thousands of police calls go unanswered in Cumbria

Tens of thousands of 101 calls to Cumbria Police have gone unanswered, figures uncovered by South Lakes MP Tim Farron reveal. He has called for "urgent improvement" from Cumbria Police.

The data shows that an average of almost 7000 calls a month to Cumbria Police's 101 line go unanswered, as callers abandon the call before managing to get through. Shockingly, this accounts for a quarter of all calls made to Cumbria Police's 101 line.

The 101 line is intended for non-emergency use, to enable the public to report crimes without putting further pressure on 999 operators. However, this data suggests the system is failing as the public are giving up before managing to get through

Tim said: "These figures are shocking. The public should be able to call 101 to let the police know about incidents in their area such as a stolen car, burglary, drug deal or damaged property.

"But here in Cumbria this is clearly not working. A quarter of all callers are hanging up the phone in frustration because they simply can't get through to anyone.

"This is utterly unacceptable and makes a mockery of the 101 idea. Not only are crimes going unreported, but if it continues the public will lose confidence in the police and the 101 service. There must be urgent improvement from Cumbria Police."