Figures show that Northamptonshire Police Force took longer than average to answer calls to the new non-emergency 101 number.
The majority of police forces aim to answer calls within 30 seconds but data from a Freedom of Information Act request carried out by the BBC, shows that Northamptonshire failed to do this.
The time to answer a call by Northamptonshire Police varied between 35 and 57 seconds and in one instance a caller to the force had to wait more than 50 minutes before someone answered.
According to the data provided, Northamptonshire Police Force and South Wales Police Force had the highest percentage of dropped calls, where people hang up or are disconnected.
The number was introduced for people to report crimes such as drug dealing, car theft and property damage.
Police Commissioner for Northamptonshire, Adam Simmonds, said: “Following my own Freedom of Information Act requested during the summer we found a tremendously worrying picture where 999 calls were just ringing out and 101 calls were exactly the same.”
Mr Simmonds said he had since commissioned a full scrutiny about the emergency call service, and added: “We are now in a position where the situation has drastically improved. 999 or 101 calls in our county are working and people are safer as a result.”
The scrutiny report is available to read at http://www.northantspcc.org.uk
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