The number of police officers in Scotland remained steady in the final quarter of 2015, new figures reveal.

At the end of December, there were 17,263 full-time equivalent officers, which was a slight increase from 17,261 in the previous three months.

This meets the Scottish Government's pledge to increase police officers by more than 1000 from the 2007 total as there were 1029 more officers at the end of the fourth quarter of 2015 compared with the end of March 2007.

However, the policy has been criticised by police representatives for "restricting" the force's ability to make £1.1bn savings by 2026.

Meanwhile, questions have been raised over how many of the police officers are out on the beat.

Opposition parties have claimed while police numbers are being upheld, officers are being used to backfill roles previously performed by civilian staff.

Scottish Liberal Democrats justice spokeswoman Alison McInnes said: "Officers should be out on the ground in our communities but instead they are being dragged away to cover roles previously fulfilled by skilled civilian staff.

"The Scottish Government's unbalanced approach makes backfilling unavoidable but doesn't do justice to the skills of officers and staff, and certainly isn't what is best for the communities they serve."

Justice secretary Michael Matheson said: "This government is dedicated to protecting local communities and with crime at a 41-year low, Scotland is the safest it has been for over a generation.

"This reduction in crime levels is supported by our continued commitment to delivering 1,000 more officers compared to 2007, a commitment we remain dedicated to and continue to deliver against."