Around 15 per cent of all calls to West Yorkshire Police’s non-emergency number are “not police concerns”.

The region’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Mark Burns-Williamson said some people were using the force’s 101 service to report issues that are the responsibility of either local councils or the NHS.

Mr Burns-Williamson said that the service had improved over the last year and were handling non-emergency calls more quickly.

The issue was raised at a Police and Crime Panel meeting on Friday.

Asked by a councillor from Wakefield if the force kept data about the number of 101 callers who hung up before an operator could speak to them, Mr Burns-Williamson said: “101 is something that I’m always monitoring and we’ve put in place measures to improve the service.

Police reveal how many people phoned 101 in 2018

“I don’t want to sound like a broken record but when 101 was set up it was supposed to be a multi-agency service.

“There’s a percentage of the calls that are not police concerns. I think it’s around 15 per cent.

“We’re trying to re-educate the public about what’s appropriate to report and what isn’t.”

Mr Burns-Williamson added that the force was looking at new ways for people to report crime, citing the introduction of online web chats and crime trackers.

But he added, “I accept that most people will always want to use the telephone.”