Opposition MSPs fear bobbies are being taken off the beat after new figures revealed a steady decline in force numbers during 2013.
At the end of December, Police Scotland had 17,258 officers – down 1% over the year and the lowest number in three years.
However, the total was still high enough to allow the force to maintain the SNP’s pledge of having 1,000 officers across the country compared to when the party came to power in 2007.
The figures were released the day after public counters at police stations across the north and north-east shut as part of cutbacks which include the closure of control rooms in Aberdeen and Inverness.
Opposition MSPs said the latest statistics failed to show the number of officers taking over backroom functions.
Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokeswoman Alison McInnes said: “What these top-line figures do not tell us is the extent of the practice of backfilling, which the chief constable himself confirmed is happening.
“If police officers are having to spend time mitigating civilian staff cuts, then any grand pledge on numbers will become meaningless.”
Scottish Conservative justice spokeswoman Margaret Mitchell said: “When you consider the number of police officers who are also filling backroom roles, this reduction is very worrying. The public don’t want to see fewer police officers on the street, they want more. We cannot continue to run Police Scotland on the bare minimum.”
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said the government was “continuing to deliver” its commitment of 1,000 extra officers to keep crime at a 40-year low.
“The creation of Police Scotland has allowed local policing to prosper, with officers dedicated solely to local policing in each division supported by specialist services and the ability to allocate additional police officers in every area where and when they are needed,” he said.
Deputy Chief Constable Rose Fitzpatrick said: “Local policing is at the heart of Police Scotland. The creation of the single service has allowed us better flexibility in allocating police officers to the right place at the right time to help keep people safe.”