More than 80 of Police Scotland's 999 call handlers will quit the force when it shuts centres in Aberdeen, Inverness and Dundee.

A total of 84 staff have expressed an interest in taking voluntary redundancy or early retirement.

The force's Aberdeen and Inverness call centres are due to close by summer next year, leaving all 999 and 101 calls to be answered in the central belt.

Its Dundee service centre, where calls are answered, will shut in December but its Dundee control room, where officers are dispatched, will stay open.

The total number of staff working in the remaining service centres in Govan, Glasgow; Bilston Glen, Midlothian, and Motherwell in North Lanarkshire is expected to rise slightly.

Northern call centres had been scheduled to shut this year but the move was pushed back for the third time in August.

In total, 62 out of the 93 civilian staff in Aberdeen plan to quit, 11 out of 101 in Dundee, and 11 out of 41 in Inverness.

Police officers have not been given the option of redundancy or retirement.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: "We are committed to no compulsory redundancies.

"If staff who have expressed an interest in either voluntary redundancy or voluntary early retirement decide to stay within Police Scotland they can choose from a range of alternative employment.

"Those who do leave will receive a wide range of support and assistance to find alternative, suitable employment."

A scathing report on police call-handling published following the deaths of a young couple on the M9 in July 2015 included 30 recommendations for Police Scotland.

The force admitted that 16 of those conditions has still not been met when it delayed plans to shut its northern call centres.