Councillors have slammed Cumbria Police's non-emergency number saying people are waiting that long to get through to an operator that crimes are not getting reported.

At the latest Workington Town Council meeting, an officer gave the councillors an update on crime in the area explaining that there had been an increase since lockdown restrictions had eased.

Unhappy with the communication between the public and the police, Councillor Will Wilkinson said: “101 is a complete and utter joke.

"You can call to report a crime and are on the line for 48 minutes and not speak to someone.”

The councillor said he felt the figures on crime were not right as people were giving up reporting crimes as they had to wait so long to be answered.

Cumbria Police have stated that the calls go direct to police officers and this was, in a number of cases, why they were unable to answer as quickly as people would like.

Chief Inspector Joanne Walker said: “If a crime is in progress or any other emergency, people should call 999 where you are typically speaking with a police officer in a few seconds.

"People should call 101 if they are reporting an incident which is not a crime in progress or an emergency incident. As people would expect, we prioritise 999 emergency calls. Our 101 line is answered by experienced police officers.

“These officers have the skills and knowledge to be able to resolve queries immediately to the caller’s satisfaction, or grade the severity of an incident based on their judgement.

“The constabulary also offers people the opportunity to report such incidents online via the force website or via email. These reports are sent straight to the Constabulary’s command and control room where they will be picked up by a police officer.”