And when told the landmark is in Leamington Spa, the officer replied: "Where in Leamington is that?"

James McCormack of Leam Terrace was walking home from work when three drunk men subjected him to a tirade of abuse outside the historic building, arguably the most famous in the town.

But the response he received after calling 451111 - the number advertised for Leamington police station - alarmed him even more.

He said: "It beggars belief.

"All I wanted was to speak to a local bobby who knows the town and the community and to deal with these drunken yobs. How can policing be so detached from the very community it serves?"

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Mr McCormack was approached by one of a group of men sitting on the Pump Room steps on August 1. Sensing trouble, he avoided eye contact and was verbally intimidated after ignoring an "aggressive" request for a favour.

He said: "I was infuriated that a bunch of drunks can intimidate members of the public while going about their business.

"So I called the police and spoke to an officer, only to be asked 'where are the Pump Rooms?'

"I was aghast. I advised him they were in Leamington Spa, to which he asked 'where in Leamington is that?'

"I felt resigned and told the officer it was pointless. At that point he advised me that I wasn't actually talking to Leamington police station, but to a call centre in a far-flung corner of Warwickshire."

The police call centre in Leek Wootton was cricticised earlier this year after a man drowned in Leamington. The Independent Police Complaints Commission found it "provided a poor service" and "failed in its duty of care".

The centre is also implicated in an ongoing investigation into another man's death.

Force head of communications, Supt Andy Johnson, said: "Taking the call in the control room ensures that the caller is not put through to a local station where officers may not be available either because they are out on patrol or dealing with other community issues.

"Sometimes the staff won't have in-depth knowledge of individual towns. I'm a Leamington man, so I know where the Pump Rooms are - but I wouldn't be so sure about areas of Nuneaton.

"We do our best to ensure there's sufficient local knowledge, but we must ensure that calls are dealt with as quickly as possible.

"I have some sympathy with the gentleman - I'm sure he expected to speak to someone at Leamington police station who'd know the town. But it's just not possible to do that.

"We don't get it right on every occasion, but we handle a million calls a year and it's unrealistic to expect us to get it right all the time."