The number is used as an alternative to 999 for the public to report crimes including antisocial behaviour, assaults and vandalism.

Since January 2022, 1,008,318 calls to the 101 line were discontinued. August 2022 was the worst month – people calling 101 hung up 40,440 times – until June last year, when 51,034 calls were ended. Between January and July this year, 215,223 calls were discontinued.

Sharon Dowey, the Scottish Conservative deputy justice spokeswoman, said: “These alarming figures are a damning indictment of the SNP’s sustained underfunding of Police Scotland. Overstretched officers and staff are doing their very best but they are being starved of the resources they need to do their job.”

She added: “Callers simply should not have to be waiting so long for their calls to be answered. Many of them will simply respond by dialling 999 instead, which will only add pressure to the system. Public safety will continue to be put at risk unless SNP ministers finally prioritise policing and justice, rather than treating these issues as an afterthought.”

Emma Bond, the assistant chief constable, said: “Police Scotland receives more than three million public contacts each year and our committed officers and staff continue to prioritise our 999 emergency calls.

“Many of these discontinued 101 calls will be cases where callers have been instructed to hang up and dial 999, they have decided to redial and select another option from a pre-recorded menu, or they have realised they should be calling another agency.”