The new head of the Police Federation, which represents 120,000 rank and file officers, said uniformed officers feel they now can't do the job they signed up to do.
John Apter told the Telegraph police officers are increasingly being deployed to sort out trivial arguments which have been sparked on Facebook and Twitter.
He said: "Where we get drawn into local disagreements – the argument over the remote control, the dispute in the playground, the row on Facebook – it is frustrating.
"Burglary is one of the most intrusive, horrible crimes that a householder can go through.
"It makes you feel incredibly vulnerable, but people can sometimes wait days for a police response."
Mr Apter, who has served with the Hampshire Force for 26-years, says he realises cyber and hate offences do need addressing.
But he said that shouldn't come at the expense of traditional police work.
He said: "What frustrates me is the knee jerk response to things where common sense goes out of the window."
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