The Scottish Police Federation told Holyrood’s Finance and Constitution Committee that the costs set out by the Scottish government were a “gross underestimation”.

It said: “The SPF considers that the anticipated costs for the police service (£50,000 for training plus a share of £50,000 for ICT changes) as laid out in the financial memorandum to represent a gross underestimation of the costs that this bill will, if passed, create for the Police Service of Scotland.”

It added the law would require several days’ training of officers – at a cost of £3.5 million to £4 million.

The bill has faced severe criticism in recent months.

The Law Society of Scotland criticised vagueness in the bill and its policy intentions, which would result in a lack of certainty for the public in understanding what constituted criminal behaviour. This would impact solicitors, whether prosecuting or defending those accused of offences created in the bill.

The Faculty of Advocates meanwhile criticised its breadth, which could result in the criminalisation of social media posts and a large number of prosecutions.