Hundreds of police officers, suspects and members of the public have been bitten by service dogs over the last five years.
Statistics obtained by the Press and Journal through a freedom of information request reveal there have been 136 incidents since 2013.
Of these, 114 suspects, 18 police officers and four members of the public were injured in that time. A total of 46 of these victims were hospitalised.
There were 31 incidents across the north and north-east during this period.
The types of injuries sustained were punctures, cuts, scratches and bruising.
Shadow justice secretary Liam Kerr has previously campaigned for better legal protection for police dogs, as it is currently not a specific offence to injure or kill a service animal in Scotland.
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The North East MSP said: “Police dogs perform a range of tasks, from searching for drugs or explosives to tracking down criminal suspects or vulnerable people who have gone missing.
“They are highly trained and are only allowed out into the field after undergoing weeks of training and having passed strict tests.
“These figures show that the vast majority of those who were bitten were suspects. That suggests these attacks are happening during police operations.
“I know that Police Scotland has strict procedures in place to limit any injuries and also to provide immediate medical attention where necessary.
“However, these findings would suggest there is no room for complacency.”
Police say each incident is assessed and dogs can often be given further training if it is deemed necessary.
Superintendent Matthew Richards from the force’s specialist services unit, said: “Anyone bitten by a police dog is advised to seek medical attention. If this person is taken into custody we will ensure the necessary care is given.
“A report into each incident is completed and an assessment is made to decide if further training is required.
“Given we have 76 dog handlers based across the country who provide 24 hour cover on a daily basis, the number of bites is relatively low.”
