The average number of stop and searches carried out by Police Scotland every six months has fallen by 93%, according to new figures.

The force carried out 321,322 searches on average in a six-month period during its first full year of operation in 2013-14.

Between April and September 2016, Police Scotland carried out just 21,553, searches, a 93.3% decline.

The force were criticised by opposition politicians for an "industrial scale" use of stop and search in the past.

Then-justice secretary Kenny MacAskill defended the use of consensual and statutory searches by officers in 2014 .

He described them as "one tactic amongst many police use to cut crime, and Police Scotland's positive results so far suggest this is working".

His replacement, Michael Matheson, announced in September 2015 that Police Scotland would phase out consensual stop and searches but argued officers would "still be able to carry out their duties effectively".

Later this week, the Scottish Government will lay out a code of conduct on how statutory searches will be conducted in the future.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats said the fall proves the searches were "unwarranted".

The party's justice spokesman Liam McArthur said:"It is astonishing to learn that the number of stop and searches being conducted by Police Scotland has fallen by 93%.

"The number of so-called consensual searches, the intrusive and unjustified searches that used to make up the bulk of this activity, has fallen by 99.6%.

"Despite all the scaremongering and SNP ministers insisting they were 'comfortable' with young people being targeted without justification, this proves just how incredibly unwarranted it was for the national force to search people on an industrial scale in the first place."

He added: "The new code of practice laid before parliament this week will govern the remaining statutory searches.

"For the first time ever, the stop and search procedure, the police's responsibilities and peoples' rights will be clearly defined in law.

"Ministers must work with us to guarantee it is fair, that it consolidates and builds upon the positive changes we have seen already and it rules out the return of industrial scale stop and search."

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "The Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act, passed unanimously by the Scottish Parliament, has already legislated for the end of non-statutory or 'consensual', stop and search when the code of practice comes into force later this year.

"Stop and search can be a valuable tool for combating crime, but the right balance must be reached between protecting the public and rights of individuals.

"We have consulted widely, and listened to the views of the expert Advisory Group, in preparing this code of practice."