A TOP officer with Avon and Somerset Police has apologised and admitted staff have not been picking up non-emergency phone calls from the public fast enough.

Figures reveal an average of 70% of 101 calls between April and July were answered within a minute – well short of the force’s 85% target.

One member of the public was kept waiting for an astonishing 49 minutes in April, according to the force’s response to a Freedom of Information inquiry.

Asst Ch Con Kay Wozniak said there had been 11,000 more calls in June and July this year than in 2013.

She said: “I’d like to say sorry to anyone who has experienced delays.”