Strathclyde police faces a doomsday scenario of a cull of more than 3200 staff within three years – almost one-third of the workforce.

Chief Constable Steve House warned the massive job losses could see specialist teams dealing with gangs and domestic violence facing the axe, and murder investigation teams scaled back.

The force faces a predicted shortfall of almost £130million between now and 2014 and, with 88% of its budget spent on staff, job losses are inevitable.

Strathclyde Police Authority yesterday approved recommendations that about 1000 jobs – civilian and officers – should go in the next 18 months, from a total workforce of 10,700.

However, Mr House warned this could be “the thin end of the wedge”. Unions have already raised the spectre of industrial action and said they were concerned there could be compulsory redundancies.

Mr House said the mantra in some sections of the public sector of “doing more with less” was “rubbish” and called for the Scottish Government to step in.

He also said it was unclear how the costs of policing events such as the Pope’s visit next month, London 2012 Olympic football matches and the Commonwealth Games would be met.

He said: “With the scale of the cuts we are looking at, 400 less officers will have an impact.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said it wouldn’t know the force’s budget until after the UK spending review on October 20.

‘We will fight cuts,’ say union

Unison branch officer Gerry Crawley has pledged to fight for every job under threat.

He said the union feared that if the force did not achieve its savings targets, more civilian posts could go.

He said: "Our big fear is that there are going to be compulsory redundancies."

Robert Brown, a LibDem MSP for Glasgow and his party’s justice spokesman, said cutting civilian staff would mean fewer on the streets.

SNP Glasgow MSP Anne McLaughlin said: "It seems irresponsible to make these indiscriminate cuts, putting public safety and people’s careers into question."