Callers dialling 101 to contact Police Scotland are having to wait longer for phone to be answered

36 per cent increase in waiting time blamed on falling police numbers

Call handlers for Police Scotland's 101 number are taking more than a minute longer to respond to queries, increasing the average wait to almost five minutes, official statistics have shown.

Data published in the force's quarterly performance report notes the average call response time to the non-emergency line was four minutes and 27 seconds in 2022/23. In 2021/22, callers waited an average of three minutes and 17 seconds.

Russell Findlay, justice spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives, said the 36 per cent increase was due to staff being overstretched due to falling police officer numbers. He expressed concerns that the increased waiting time could have a knock-on effect, with frustrated callers dialling 999 instead for a quicker response.

Calls to Police Scotland's 101 number are taking longer to be answered, sparking fears people will decide to dial 999 instead. Picture: John Devlin.

Scotland's Chief Constable Sir Iain Livingstone previously raised worries about the force's budget allocation for the year ahead despite a Scottish Government uplift of £80 million in revenue funding, representing a 6.4 per cent increase from the previous year. Sir Iain said "difficult choices" were necessary after £37 million of the allocation was to be used to meet the costs of the pay review, leaving £43 million.

Mr Russell said: "These lengthy waiting times are an unacceptable but entirely predictable result of the SNP's underfunding of Police Scotland. Overstretched officers and staff are doing their very best but they are being deprived of the resources they desperately need to serve the public. Callers should not have to wait almost five minutes for a 101 call to be answered. It's the kind of shoddy experience you might expect from a bank or utility company - not the police service. My concern is that as wait times increase, more frustrated callers might hang up and dial 999 which could add even more pressure to the system. Public safety will continue to be put at risk unless SNP ministers make justice and policing a priority rather than an afterthought."

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "Police Scotland call handlers work hard to ensure all calls to the service are answered as quickly and as safely as possible - with priority placed on 999 calls. The Scottish Government remains committed to working closely with both the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland to ensure we continue to have a safe, protected and resilient Scotland.

"Despite UK Government austerity, and in recognition of the crucial role Police Scotland officers and staff play keeping our communities safe, the service is receiving an additional £80 million in resource funding in 2023/24, a 6.3 per cent increase compared to 2022/23."