Police Scotland has announced the closure of three of its stations which have not been manned for a number of years.
Carluke police station in South Lanarkshire, Seaton police station in Aberdeen and Balerno station in Edinburgh will shut, following public consultation.
At a Scottish Police Authority (SPA) resources committee meeting on Wednesday, the force announced the closures as part of its estate transformation strategy.
Carluke was last operational around three years ago, and has not been used since due to extensive water damage.
Local officers have instead been deploying from Lanark police station, which is just over five miles away.
Police Scotland said the change has not been detrimental to its service in the area.
Chief Superintendent Stevie Dolan said the Carluke site is in a “significant state of disrepair” and is therefore not fit for purpose.
He added: “Although it has been vacant, Carluke has continued to incur day-to-day running costs and ongoing repairs and maintenance, which is not best use of public funds.
“I realise the physical police presence of the building has provided reassurance and confidence to the local community over the years, however I would like to assure local residents that our officers will continue to be active, visible and accessible.
“Our officers based at Lanark will continue to cover the Carluke area, as they have been doing, and the public will receive the same high level of service.”
Balerno, on the outskirts of Edinburgh, has not been used as an operational response site for several years and officers now deploy from Wester Hailes, which is under five miles away.
Superintendent David Happs said: “Police Scotland inherited a very large and ageing estate, much of which was not fit for purpose, with high maintenance costs and environmental inefficiencies.
“With advances in digital technology, officers are no longer tied to working from police buildings. A lot of the paperwork side of policing can now be done directly into mobile devices that officers carry with them.
“Our officers therefore spend much of their time out in communities dealing with calls and helping the public.
“Balerno has continued to incur day-to-day running costs and ongoing repairs and maintenance, which is not best use of public funds.”
The Seaton station has not been used since the Covid-19 pandemic and police in the area have been based at other stations throughout Aberdeen, including Tillydrone less than two miles from Seaton.
Police say the local community supports closing the building, agreeing it does not provide a service or value to the area.
Superintendent David Howieson insisted the public will continue to receive a “high level of service” despite the closure, and said having several small teams across the city had “restricted information sharing, learning and also impacted on the wellbeing” of Police Scotland staff.
He added: “Creating a larger team at Tillydrone, which serves the Tillydrone, Powis and Seaton areas, has created a more efficient and effective policing service for these communities.
“Our officers also benefit personally from being within a larger group of colleagues.
“Although I realise that the people of Seaton may be concerned, I would reassure them that there is no change to policing services in the area.”
Seaton and Balerno were both among 44 Police Scotland buildings the force said last year it planned to dispose of.
Scottish Police Federation chairman David Threadgold criticised the closures.
“First and foremost I would say Police Scotland is now having to make decisions as a result of chronic and long-standing lack of investment in the police estate and, however they try to sell it, these decisions are based purely on finances,” he said.
“These decision have not been made around policing – they have been made on money and money alone.”
He said the closures are part of a “move away” from the basis of community policing, adding: “The communities of Scotland will get a lesser service because of these closures.”
Mr Threadgold said the closure of Seaton police office, where he used to work, would enable criminals to operate “with a significant amount of impunity” and officers being based in Tillydrone is a “really significant distance as far as being able to deliver a policing service and the public having confidence in that service”.