Reports of a missing Amazon parcel, social media being hacked and a hoax stabbing are just some of the calls that Cambridgeshire Police received on October 25.

The force ran their fifth annual Postathon event on social media between 4pm and 9pm to highlight some of the types of calls, and the volume of calls, that handlers tackle on an average Friday evening.

In the five hour event, 183 calls were made to Cambridgeshire Police. 23 of them were silent, nine were reports of domestic abuse, 12 were violent incidents, six were regarding missing people and 11 were road related.

During the Postathon, one man called 999 because his Amazon parcel had arrived empty. 

Two callers reported that their Facebook page had been hacked, and one man called to report that someone had put children's toys in his bin.

One call included reports of a stabbing, however, it turned out to be a hoax. A man was then arrested on suspicion of wasting police time.

Social media users were quick to praise the force for their handling of the calls. One user said: "I don’t think it’s recognised how many emergency calls just one police force gets in half an hour!

"Thank you to all emergency call handlers."

Superintendent Nick Church, Head of Demand at Cambridgeshire Police, said that the event is "eye-opening" for members of the public. 

He said that the control room staff at Cambridgeshire Police are, "kind, supportive, resilient, focused and diligent".

He added: "The incredible demand we face is why we encourage online reporting in non-urgent situations, as it is not always possible to have an operator on the other end of the phone if it’s not deemed to be an emergency."

The force encourage people to log a report online, use the web chat, or call 101 for non-urgent matters.