AS 250 riot police were dispatched across the border to England, the head of the organisation which represents Scotland's 32 councils said the riots underline the reason why the Scottish Government should not rush headlong into the creation of a single police force.

Officers from all eight forces have been deployed to help quell the disorder that has pushed police resources to breaking point.

The first fleets left for Birmingham and Manchester in the early hours of yesterday after a request from the Association of Chief Police Officers.

However, Chief Constable Kevin Smith, president of the association, stressed that the vast majority of Scottish officers remained in this country.

Pat Watters, president of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, said the riots underlined the need for “quality policing” and he warned the Scottish Government’s outline business case for a unitary police force was not stacking up on detail.

He added that previous experience highlighted the costs for such projects spiral while service performance and public satisfaction drops.

Mr Watters said: “Arguably, never more than over the last few days have we been aware of the need for quality policing – not only in terms of responding to rioting and looting, but also working with other agencies to alleviate community issues and prevent future flashpoints.

“As Scotland moves to reform its policing, we must get this right.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “It is clear reform of the service across Scotland is necessary precisely to ensure that visible local policing can be maintained and improved in the face of budget cuts from Westminster.”