ONGOING cuts to the police service in Scotland are “unsustainable” and have led to officers being taken out of communities and shunted into back office roles, senior figures in the force have said.

Organisations which work with Police Scotland have also raised concerns it will struggle to achieve a balanced budget in the next three years.

It comes as bosses floated the creation of a single emergency force consisting of the police, fire and ambulance services, while admitting this was “unrealistic to happen in the current political climate”.

Researchers interviewed 17 senior figures across policing, the fire service and a range of national bodies as part of an ongoing evaluation of reforms.

Scottish Labour's justice spokesman Daniel Johnson MSP said their report contained “deeply troubling evidence from the very people charged with keeping people in Scotland safe”.

He said: “It is clear that SNP cuts could be putting public safety at risk and are damaging officer morale.

“We have known for some time that SNP policies led to police officers backfilling staff roles – and that ministers could now cut more than a thousand officers to make up for their own mistake. But this report suggests that this is only one of a number of poor decisions made at the top.

“And it is clear the fire service is not getting the support it needs. SNP Justice Secretary Michael Matheson must urgently review these findings.”

The latest interviews with senior figures – which form the third of four Scottish Government reports into the centralised police and fire services since they were created in 2013 – were carried out towards the end of last year and in January.

It comes amid continuing controversy in Police Scotland’s senior ranks, with chief constable Phil Gormley resigning earlier this year on the back of misconduct and bullying allegations.

Bosses told researchers change was necessary in the face of austerity, with the key driver being the need to slash costs.

Meanwhile, job losses, restructuring and a feeling of being locked out of the process had led to “change fatigue” among some officers.

Four senior figures from policing were interviewed by researchers, alongside six fire service chiefs and seven representatives from national bodies and local authorities that work alongside the emergency services.

Several of those questioned said ongoing cuts to policing were unsustainable, with current “savings” leading to inefficiencies.

The creation of a single emergency force made up of the police, fire and ambulance services was viewed as “true transformation”, but currently unrealistic.

Bosses in both the police and fire service also admitted the “emotional attachment” officers had for the old, regional services will take years to work through.

Police Scotland has a 10-year strategy outlining how it needs to change, while the fire service is adapting to a new environment where “dealing with fires is becoming less of a focus”.

However the creation of national forces has allowed firefighters to explore new technologies, such as linking the control room to frontline staff through the use of body cameras.

Fire chiefs also highlighted “the need for the service to focus on changing demands including climate change, terrorism and prevention”.

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Liam McArthur MSP reiterated his calls for an independent expert commission into police centralisation.

He said: "Ministers can't dismiss these concerns, like they have done so often before, because they come from the top of the police and fire services and those organisations that work alongside them on a daily basis.”

Police Scotland’s interim chief constable Iain Livingstone welcomed the report and said the force had been “working to move officers out of back office roles and maintain the frontline”.

He said: “This is a positive report and part of a valued, long term evaluation of police and fire reform.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The creation of single police and fire services have resulted in a significant number of achievements in the first five years of reform.

“The Scottish Government is committed to providing our police and fire services with the resources they need to keep communities in Scotland safe, including ensuring that both can retain VAT payments previously demanded by the UK Treasury.”