More than a fifth of callers to Norfolk Constabulary's 101 service give up because they take so long to answer, a new report has found.

The figures are revealed in the force's annual inspection report, which said it "required improvement" in the way responded to the public.

The high number of abandoned 101 calls - four times higher than the national guidance - meant that more people then made inappropriate 999 calls.

Almost 22 percent of calls to the non-emergency 101 number were abandonedAlmost 22pc of calls to the non-emergency 101 number were abandoned (Image: Newsquest)

The report, carried out by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, warned that the force's slow responses to public calls meant it risked failing to safeguard victims or collect evidence.

The watchdog said that out of 82 cases it examined, only 49 cases had a response within the required time.

“Delayed responses can lead to the constabulary missing opportunities to safeguard victims or collect evidence,” it said. 

READ MORE: 999 review after Costsessy deaths finds police failings

Roy Wilsher, HM Inspector of Constabulary, said: “I have some concerns about how the constabulary is responding to the public. In particular, it needs to improve how long it takes to respond to incidents at all levels.

Roy Wilsher, HM Inspector of Constabulary, said he had concerns over police responsesRoy Wilsher, HM Inspector of Constabulary, said he had concerns over police responses (Image: HMICFRS)

The report said the number of abandoned 101 calls meant the force had a "degree of risk that isn’t understood or addressed, as the content of any abandoned call and the risk it may have contained is unknown”.

Inspectors said the constabulary also needs to improve protection of vulnerable members of the public and the way it manages offenders. 

Call delays risked missing opportunities to safeguard victims or collect evidence, said inspectorsCall delays risked missing opportunities to safeguard victims or collect evidence, said inspectors (Image: Newsquest)

READ MORE: Norfolk police launch 999 mental health call changes

It said important information about victims “isn’t always being shared with other agencies and there is insufficient oversight of standard risk domestic abuse cases”. 

However, inspectors rated the force outstanding for recording crimes, good for crime prevention and adequate for investigating crime.  

“Since our last inspection, the constabulary has made a significant effort to review and improve its investigative standards,” said Mr Wilsher.

Chief Constable Paul Sanford said: “This report highlights the constabulary has many strengths including preventing and deterring crime, while also having an effective neighbourhood policing offer which understands and responds to the needs of local communities.”

He said the force had made significant investment in its control room since 2021 to improve our call handling and response times. 

“HMICFRS state that we should be investing in better technology to help us to manage non-emergency calls and I firmly agree with this. 

“Next month we hope start a pilot of new technology to assist us with some calls for service and we believe that this will lead to improvements,” he added.