Gloucester’s town crier has compared the police’s 101 service to the Generation Game after he was unable to promptly report an attack by “yobs on bikes”.
Alan Myatt, 61, says three “scabby-looking” youths tried to steal his hat and wig, descending on him “like a gang of sharks” as he walked down Northgate Street at 4pm on Tuesday.
Mr Myatt fell in the struggle, hurting his knee and shoulder. His bell broke when he threw it at the boys, who then rode away.
The town crier was “disgusted” by what happened when he tried to report the incident to police by calling 101.
He says he repeatedly made calls to 101 for an hour and a half, before eventually giving up. A Gloucestershire police spokesman stressed the force has finite resources and must therefore prioritise calls to the emergency 999 lines.
Mr Myatt said: “Listen to all the categories you have to go through on 101, &apos;noise pollution&apos; and all sorts. It&apos;s like the Generation Game."
A police spokesman said now Mr Myatt has spoken to the force, its Initial Investigations Team is reviewing the case for any available evidence.
Mr Myatt said: “Of course they have to prioritise 999 calls, but if these people can do this to me they can do it to other people.
“They can start snatching bags and get bolder if the police don&apos;t do anything. The fact I couldn&apos;t report it was really annoying.
Mr Myatt will discuss the yobs’ attack on talkSPORT today, after Gloucestershire Live broke the story on Tuesday.
But the town crier insisted he will not say anything to the media that will “rubbish Gloucester”.
“I don’t want to do that,” he added. “I want to highlight the police’s poor service.
Friends of Mr Myatt launched a fundraiser to pay for a new bell, which has seen £165 in donations.
Addressing the coverage of the story in national newspapers, Mr Myatt joked: “If anything happens to me it goes national.
A Gloucestershire police spokesman said the average 101 call wait-time on Tuesday was six minutes and the longest time a call was held for was 30 minutes.
She added: “We are sorry that the victim in this case feels dissatisfied with the service that he received but we have to prioritise 999 calls based on the harm, threat and risk involved.