Home / New ZealandLong waits for people ringing police non-emergency 105 phone lineRNZ22 May, 2021 12:53 AMQuick ReadSubscribe to listenAccess to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Sign in hereListening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.SaveShareShare this articleCopy LinkEmailFacebookTwitter/XLinkedInRedditPhoto / RNZPhoto / RNZBy RNZSome people ringing the police non-emergency number have encountered wait times of more than an hour in the past month.The 105 phone number gets more than 100,000 calls each month.The police say about a third of calls are abandoned before an operator picks up.The average hold time is four and a half minutes.AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.The longest wait recorded was two hours and 20 minutes.A police spokesperson says long wait-times are undesirable, and can be caused by surges in demand, long phone call durations, and operator availability.Emergency calls to 111 are prioritised.AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.The average wait time for a 111 call was 29 seconds in April, and the longest wait was just over seven minutes.- RNZSaveShareShare this articleCopy LinkEmailFacebookTwitter/XLinkedInRedditLatest from New ZealandOpinion|UpdatedNZ Herald comments: The stories open for discussion today09 Dec 07:11 PMPremiumCartoonsRod EmmersonRod Emmerson’s cartoons: Week of December 8 - 1409 Dec 07:11 PMNew ZealandPolitical panel: David Seymour and Marama DavidsonWatch09 Dec 06:48 PMSponsoredThe Bay’s secret advantage07 Dec 09:54 PMAdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
