The number of police officers in Scotland remained stable in the final quarter of 2015, new figures have shown.

There were 17,263 full-time equivalent officers at the end of December, up slightly from 17,261 in the previous three months.

The number continues to meet the Scottish Government's pledge to increase police officers by more than 1,000 from the 2007 total.

The figures showed there were 1,029 more officers at the end of the fourth quarter of 2015 compared with the end of March 2007.

The policy has been criticised by bodies representing police officers for "restricting" the force's ability to make £1.1 billion of savings by 2026.

Meanwhile, questions have been raised over how many of the police officers are out on the beat.

Opposition parties have claimed that while police numbers are being maintained, officers are being used to "backfill" roles that were previously performed by civilian staff.

Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said: "This government is dedicated to protecting local communities and with crime at a 41-year low, Scotland is the safest it has been for over a generation.

"This reduction in crime levels is supported by our continued commitment to delivering 1,000 more officers compared to 2007, a commitment we remain dedicated to and continue to deliver against.

"By contrast, police numbers in England and Wales have already fallen by 16,800 since 2007 to their lowest level since 2000.

"If numbers in Scotland had been cut at the same rate between these dates, we would have 2,922 fewer officers than our commitment."

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokeswoman Alison McInnes said: "Officers should be out on the ground in our communities but instead they are being dragged away to cover roles previously fulfilled by skilled civilian staff.

"The merger of Police Scotland has been a disaster for civilian staff who have been the target of disproportionate cuts.

"The Scottish Government's unbalanced approach makes backfilling unavoidable but doesn't do justice to the skills of officers and staff, and certainly isn't what is best for the communities they serve."