Police data has revealed thousands of 999 and 101 calls were recorded as having not been answered in the last two years.

The figures found as many as 60,311 calls to 101 and 5,648 calls to 999 were left unanswered last year, according to a Freedom of Information request made to Hertfordshire Constabulary on November 23, 2018.

Calls to 101 usually concern incidents that require a non-emergency response. Whereas 999 calls should “always” be made for an emergency, according to police.uk.

In 2016-17, 21,623 calls to 101 and 1,216 calls to 999 were unanswered.

The data also showed the longest time it took for a caller to get a response for a 999 call in 2017-18 was 8 minutes and 24 seconds. Whereas in the same year for a 101 call, the longest time was 59 minutes and 58 seconds.

A spokesperson for Hertfordshire Constabulary said: “Putting these figures into context, there are many reasons why 999 calls are recorded as unanswered.

“Some of these are down to hoax calls, accidental dialling, technical issues or caller termination.

“If we have genuine concern for a member of the public who has dialled 999 but for whatever reason the call is not connected, our operators follow a safeguarding procedure with the aim of making contact with them in order ensure their safety.

“We regularly review 999 and 101 call statistics and if we are not meeting set targets, we have the ability to call on mutual aid from other local police forces.

“Our Force Communications Room receives an average of 1,500 calls each day. The average waiting time for 999 calls in the year to date is 11 seconds, and is 1 minute 44 seconds for 101 calls.

“We are attending 78 per cent of our emergency incidents within 15 minutes but if you have to wait for your 101 call to be answered it means we are dealing with high call volumes and are prioritising emergency 999 calls.

“This ensures we get help to those in need of urgent assistance, who may be in a life or death situation.

“However we understand that this may be frustrating and thank the public for their patience.

“Alternatively, if you are calling about a non-emergency matter you can choose to contact us via online web chat or report information on our website at www.herts.police.uk/report