A blueprint to modernise policing and free up officers to spend more time in communities will be unveiled this week.

The plan to overhaul Police Scotland's digital, data and ICT capability will be put before the Scottish Police Authority on Thursday.

And it will make a business case for £298m of investment over nine years.

The force will argue the funding is required to modernise the service and provide officers and staff with the equipment they need to protect the public in the 21st century.

At present officers use traditional notebooks and then spend time compiling crime reports when they get back to the office.

The new plans would eliminate hours of duplication through the use of mobile devices.

Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor said: "There has been significant under-investment in technology in policing since well before 2013 and we've not been able to make use of some of the investment that has been available.

"Despite this, our officers and staff have continued to deliver to the best of their ability by making huge personal commitments to get the job done.

"But the present situation is unsustainable.

"The pressure on our officers and staff to work around the failings in our technology and meet the new threats will move beyond their ability to cope."

The senior officer said the current situation also has a detrimental impact on the public and other parts of the criminal justice system.

DCC Taylor added: "At a time when the pressure on public services is immense, we are operating an economically inefficient police service."

A business case prepared by the force found many of IT systems are out of date, are not joined up and cannot be upgraded

It also recognised the growing threat from cyber criminals, many of whom target Scotland from overseas.

DCC Taylor said the business case features a number of projects that have already been put in place by other police services in the UK and around the world.

She said: "It is proven technology that Police Scotland needs now.

"We'll give our officers mobile devices and access to integrated and up-to-date information on the move, allowing them to spend more time in the communities they serve.

"We'll also give them better technology to capture evidence, speeding up the criminal justice system and making the process simpler for the public."

DCC Taylor vowed the new system will also make it easier for the public to report crime and put officers back on the streets by freeing up the time they currently spend on paperwork.

The Scottish Police Authority's (SPA) own summary report of the proposals has also been published.

It comments on the need for "urgent and far reaching reform" and urges the board to consider the risk of not acting to upgrade the systems.

It states: "If Police Scotland is to be able to tackle crime in a digital age and fulfil its statutory purpose to promote the safety and wellbeing of people, places and communities in Scotland it needs the technical capability to do it... "Police Scotland currently lacks that capability."

It adds that the force plays "an essential role in maintaining cross-sector cyber resilience".

"Not acting, and continuing to maintain only the existing levels of capability, is no longer a viable option consistent with the role which Police Scotland plays," the report notes.

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Liam McArthur pointed to the collapse of a previous IT reform in a criticism of the move to a single force.

The £46 million i6 scheme to replace legacy systems failed in 2016.

He said: "Officers and staff are constantly frustrated and slowed down by shoddy IT.

"The police are not going to be able to tackle highly sophisticated organised criminals with IT equipment that would struggle to run Pac-Man.

"21st century policing requires 21st century tools."