A SUSPECTED bogus caller may have escaped because the North Yorkshire police call handling system failed again, a Richmond resident has said.

Coun John Harris tried to contact police at lunchtime on Wednesday after a man who called at his door and tried to sell plastic materials failed to produce identification.

After 15 minutes the call - made just before 1.30 - remained unanswered and Coun Harris, of Ronaldshay Drive, gave up.

"I am extremely unhappy to think that this person might have been out to con people but, because my call was not answered, he might have got away with it," he said.

"People have paid an extra 76pc for their police authority precept this year and there are all sorts of rumours about what the rise might be next year. We were promised a better service from our police and the public were urged to report suspicious people and incidents, but look what happens when we try to do that.

"Trading standards has recently launched a campaign against cold calling, but what use is that if the police don't respond?"

The £1m call handling system installed last year at police headquarters at Newby Wiske has been fraught with problems, attracting a catalogue of complaints from the public.

In April, a Danby resident said he had waited 45 minutes for a call to be answered.

At the time, chief constable Della Cannings urged people to write to her if they experienced similar problems.

A police spokesman said extra call handling staff were recruited in September and training had been stepped up.

The force was also in discussion with the software provider about the problems.

There had been a rise in the percentage of calls answered promptly but problems still existed.

Coun Harris said failed attempts to ring the Northallerton number might result in people dialling 999 on non-urgent matters, leading to emergency calls not getting through.