New proposals would see 29 stations and buildings scrapped, with the savings reinvested into the single force.

Eight of the stations that could close are in Glasgow, including the city centre base at Stewart Street, which is home to the divisional management team and detectives.

Edinburgh and Aberdeen could see the loss of five stations each.

The announcement comes as the force calls for a funding increase.

Chief Constable Jo Farrell told a meeting of the Scottish Police Authority last week that the force needs another £128 million.

Deputy chief constable Malcolm Graham said the force’s estate “needs to be fit for 21st-century policing”.

He said: “Our presence in communities is not defined by buildings, but by the officers and staff who work there, and we have already introduced technology that enables our officers to remain in local areas, reducing the need for them to return to police stations to deal with paperwork.”

Scottish Conservative justice spokesman Russell Findlay said the Scottish government has “presided over the closure of 140 police buildings in the first decade of Police Scotland”.

He added: “The people of Scotland will know that this hammer-blow to policing is a direct result of decisions made by Humza Yousaf’s government.”

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Liam McArthur said the closures would be a “hammer-blow” for community policing in Scotland.

A Scottish government spokesperson said: “While this is an operational decision, Police Scotland’s estate strategy, published in 2019, outlined plans to dispose of outdated, under-invested, and under-used properties, so they could develop modern premises capable of delivering effective and efficient public services.”