More than 2800 police officer posts could vanish as budget squeezes take hold, a force body has warned.
The Scottish Police Federation said the cuts could mean police numbers dropping to levels not seen since the 1990s.
Its chairman, Les Gray, said the police service was working on the basis that it would see its budgets cut by as much as 24% over the next four years, on the basis of documents the organisation had seen.
That would mean the loss of £88.5m - equivalent to 2808 police officer posts.
If the figures were to hold true, Scotland's largest force - Strathclyde - would lose 1350 officers. Lothian and Borders would seen a reduction of 484 and Grampian 249.
Mr Gray said: "The public have a right to feel safe and protected. Reductions of this scale would inevitably impact on crime levels and crime detection levels. The service is effectively being asked to provide 21st-century policing with 1990s resources."
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said police had been given record funds of £1.4bn this year - a 20% rise since 2006.
The spokeswoman added: "Chief constables and local police authorities are taking decisions based on the current economic climate and not on a set budget. We will not know what any police force's budget is until after the UK spending review is announced on October 20, and Scotland's budget is published in the following weeks.
"Scotland's budget is forecast to shrink by £3.7bn in real terms over the next four years, and our priority is protecting frontline services."
Individual forces have already spoken out over the tough times they face. Last week, Strathclyde Police said it was planning to cut 200 officer posts through early retirement.
Meanwhile, the Central Scotland force is looking to cut 194 of its police posts in the next four years.
