Shock new figures have revealed bobbies are being taken off the beat hundreds of times every month – to act as posties.
Officers in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray had to serve a staggering 13,000 legal documents in the past 16 months.
Last night, opposition politicians claimed police were being dragged away from frontline work to carry out admin tasks.
But a spokeswoman for the force said serving witness citations and other notices was a function officers had always carried out, and that they would continues to do so.
Highlands and Islands MSP David Stewart – who obtained the statistics using freedom of information legislation – said they exposed SNP failings on law and order.
The Labour politician said support staff levels had been cut in response to a “retrograde” Scottish Government scheme aimed at saving £1.2billion by 2026.
Mr Stewart said: “We knew cuts had to come to achieve this target, and the only place Police Scotland could wield the axe was amongst valued support staff.
“By the end of the financial year 2013-14, 667 applications for voluntary redundancy among staff had been approved, of which 86% were accepted.
“So we have our hard-pressed and overworked frontline bobbies now carrying out this role.”
Mr Stewart claimed he has it “on good authority” that legal documents were previously delivered across the north-east by eight specially-designated officers, backed by two administrative assistants.
But from the summer, the force has employed no legal documents officers – although it has doubled the number of administrative staff to four.
The figures were released following complaints from an Elgin-based constable that the region’s force was being “pushed to the limit”.
Leanne Jewison described scenes when only two police officers were left to handle a “pretty scary” fracas outside a nightclub.
She said: “A lot of the public don’t realise how short staffed we are – we are being pushed to the limit.”
The Scottish Conservatives’ shadow justice secretary Douglas Ross said the statistic highlighted his concerns that officers were being “hampered” by having to undertake clerical duties.
The Highlands and Islands MSP added: “I have said for a long time that it is clear frontline officers are being redirected to back office functions – as a direct result of the SNP’s drive for a national police force.
“Officers do a tremendous job, but their efforts are hampered if they spend less time out in communities and more time fulfilling functions previously performed by civilian staff.”
However, a police spokeswoman insisted the system had merits – and that office staff were still available to help deliver documents “if required”.
She added: “Officers across the country have always served such documents – particularly court indictments, witness citations and countermands – and continue to do so.
“With the formation of Police Scotland, there is now a national model for the service of legal documents, providing equality across urban and rural areas.
“Civilian staff who work in local stations continue to be authorised to serve such documents, if required.”
A spokesman for the government’s justice department said: “It is for Police Scotland to determine how they deploy officers, with divisional area commanders making decisions based on local intelligence and priorities.
“We have committed to protecting the police resource budget in real terms in every year of this parliament, delivering a boost of £100million by 2021.
“The Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland are working on a long-term strategy for a flexible, modern and sustainable police service.”
