A senior police officer has responded to claims that Police Scotland don't have enough frontline officers.
Deputy Chief Constable Will Kerr insisted the force is working hard to meet the "demands being placed on officers".
His remarks come amid a warning of a crisis within Scotland's police service, which has been hit by claims that there are not enough frontline officers to keep people safe.
The concerns have come from various officers at the Scottish Police Federation's annual conference - and are expected to be put to Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf, Chief Constable Iain Livingstone, and Scottish Police Authority chairman Susan Deacon, who are due to attend today.
An emergency motion carried at the conference said that there are an estimated 17,000 officers in Scotland but there are just not enough on the frontline.
Read more: Watch: Police officers warn - 'We don't have enough on the frontline to keep Scotland safe'
Responding to the claims, Deputy Chief Constable Kerr said: "We recognise the demands being placed on our officers.
"Over 80 per cent of calls we receive are not related to crime, and many of the people who call us are in distress, many are vulnerable and they don’t always know where they are or what services they need.
"We are working closely with partners to ensure we can deliver the most appropriate response to meet the needs of callers. We are also looking at ways to transform the manner in which we respond to calls, taking into account threat, risk, harm and vulnerability at that first point of contact.
"The frontline of policing goes beyond uniformed officers on the street that the public will see every day. The frontline includes our officers working in less visible, but no less vital, areas which protect the public, such as preventing and investigating serious and organised crime, cybercrime and the abuse of children and vulnerable people."
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