Liam McArthur

According to a report due to go before the Scottish Police Authority board tomorrow, the force has spent £8,053,218 up to September 9 on planning for Brexit.

It has split its work into two groups, Brexit contingency planning and the delivery team.

The planning group is preparing for potential civil unrest in the wake of Brexit while the delivery team is focused on ensuring international cooperation is maintained.

Force reserves have been deployed across Scotland since August in preparation for Brexit and have been helping officers at pre-planned events such as football games and protests.

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesman Liam Mcarthur said: “This is a mind-boggling sum. We know the pressure that Police Scotland are already under and how stretched they are.

“Not only will Brexit make us less safe if we lose access to international crime-fighting resources, it is costing our police service dearly.

“The UK government needs to ensure that none of our public services are missing out as a result of the catastrophic Brexit process.”