An MSP believes the loss of mentors in the police force will have a knock-on effect on future generations of officers.
Yesterday it was revealed the North East Division has been one of the areas worst hit with staff quitting the single constabulary since it was formed.
Figures obtained by the Scottish Conservatives have shown more than 40,000 years worth of combined experience has been lost nationally since 2013.
Last night Highlands and Islands MSP Douglas Ross raised fears new recruits are now missing out on learning from veteran staff.
He said: “Officers seem to be leaving Police Scotland in their droves. I have highlighted the number of experienced staff leaving the force in Moray before and these figures confirm my fears.
“While it is encouraging that new people are joining the force their experience as local officers in Moray is often enhanced by being guided and mentored by experienced officers.
“This vital element of a police officer’s development is being diminished as there are less officers with sufficient service to pass on their experience during the probationary period.”
The statistics reveal 3,159 staff have left the force since it was formed nearly four years ago – half of that total had more than 26 years of service.
The police’s head of resource management, Peter Blair, has stated he has no concerns about the anticipated rise in retirement rates and there was enough applications to maintain the current compliment of officers.