THE number of unanswered police calls outside of the expected timescale has more than tripled in three years.

Avon and Somerset Police said they categorise as 'unanswered calls' those "which were abandoned outside the expected response time".

A spokesperson said: “The most relevant category we have identified for ‘unanswered calls’ is that of calls which were abandoned outside of the expected response time, or Service Level Agreement (SLA) for that type of call.

“The SLA for 999 calls is 10 seconds; for 101 calls it is 1 minute. However, please note that we will always call back abandoned 999 calls, whether abandoned inside or outside of the SLA of 10 seconds.”

Figures obtained by the County Gazette through a freedom of information request show that the total of abandoned 999 and 101 calls outside of SLA went from 5,108 to 17,471 from 2019 to 2021.

They also show that the total of 999 and 101 calls received by Avon and Somerset Police went from 971,025 to 998,468.

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police added: "Last year we received more 999 and 101 calls compared with previous years, with almost one million calls into our control room.

“In 2021 there was a significant rise in the number of emergency 999 calls of which we are required to answer within 10 seconds.

“Of the 282,475 emergency calls to our 999 service throughout last year almost 96 per cent were answered within 10 seconds.

“Approximately one in every 1,000 emergency 999 calls we received were abandoned and in those cases, we will phone back the caller to ensure they are safe and do not require police attendance, regardless of how quickly they hang up.

"Our 101 non-emergency line was called 715,993 times last year and we aim to answer those calls within one minute.

"The higher demand for 999 calls, which the control room will always prioritise over non-emergency demand, can result in delays at busy times on 101.

“The control room has introduced a call back service on the 101 line where a member of the public can opt to retain their position in the queue at times of high demand without needing to wait on the line.

"At peak times response times may take a little longer and therefore we do encourage people to think before they call.

"Non-urgent matters for police can also be reported through our website at www.avonandsomerset.police.uk/report

“We have worked hard as an organisation to put in place arrangements to ensure our call-handling service has not been significantly affected by the prevalence of COVID-19 in our communities and are committed to ensuring our control room team is on hand 24/7, 365 days a week to help the public.”