Two out of three Scottish police officers want to carry a gun, a new survey has revealed.

There is significant support for armed policing among rank-and-file officers, according to the poll by the Scottish Police Federation (SPF).

The union, which has voiced support for a wider roll-out of firearms, said officers feel "vulnerable and ill-equipped".

Vice-chairman David Hamilton said: "This survey shows the clear capability gap that police officers in Scotland currently have.

"It is the officers responding to day-to-day calls that are at the greatest risk from spontaneous violence."

Nearly 64% of 4200 officers surveyed by the SPF said they would like to routinely carry a handgun.

The poll shows significantly higher support for the policy in Scotland than in England and Wales, where about 34% say they want to be armed.

About 77% voiced support for the "Norwegian model", where officers are trained to shoot but do not carry guns. Nine out of ten officers said they wanted a Taser.

Armed officers have been deployed at a series of high-profile events in Scotland this year, including the TRNSMT music festival and Edinburgh's Christmas market.

Police Scotland has around 600 fully-trained firearms officers, although only about 400 are full-time.

Their introduction has proven controversial, however, and Police Scotland was forced scale back their use after it emerged firearms officers were carrying out routine duties like traffic stops.

Armed officers can now only be deployed to incidents where there is a serious threat to life.

The SPF's survey also showed widespread support for body cameras, with more than two out of three officers saying they supported their use.