CHIEF Constable Sir Stephen House is facing a parliamentary motion to resign with immediate effect.
Scottish Labour tabled the motion in Holyrood after police failed to investigate a fatal car crash on the M9 for 72 hours after it was first reported.
Lamara Bell and John Yuill died in the incident, which is currently under investigation. The Scottish Government has said it does not believe a "systemic failure" was to blame for the initial phone call to one of its 999 centres not being passed on to officers on the ground.
Shadow Justice Secretary Hugh Henry said: "The public are rapidly losing confidence in Police Scotland after a series of major mistakes. "Revelations of recent days appear to confirm that the tragedy on the M9 wasn’t an isolated incident and was the result of a number of failures since the creation of Police Scotland.
"Sir Stephen House should resign with immediate effect. Only when the Chief Constable moves on can the Scottish Government fully investigate the failings in Police Scotland and get a grip on policing across our country."
Mr Henry said there were "serious concerns about accountability".
"The Scottish Police Authority has utterly failed to hold Police Scotland to account in any way," he said. "This isn’t an issue of party politics - it’s about the policing of our country. I hope members from all the different political parties can support this motion."
Labour championed the creation of a single police force. Its critics believe the party - and others - have since attempted to politicise the force.
Brian Docherty, chairman of the Scottish Police Federation, which represents Scotland’s rank-and-file officers, dismissed the Labour motion.
He said: "If politicians really cared about policing in Scotland, we would be seeing motions calling for increases in funding and not the gesture politics of calling for resignations”
Sir Stephen has previously said he will stand down at the end of his current contract, next year.
The chairman of the Scottish Police Authority (SPA), Vic Emery, has announced he will retire after the summer.
Mr Emery said: “Everyone in policing regrets the recent tragic M9 incident. The Chief Constable has led Scottish policing’s acknowledgement of that failing, and has been clear in showing his personal commitment and duty to lead the service through this.
"The SPA continues to have confidence in him doing that, and will continue to provide both the support and necessary oversight required.
“In acknowledging problems we cannot stand by and allow the recent history and track record of policing in Scotland to be rewritten, or for past weaknesses to be conveniently swept under the carpet.
“Levels of crime have continued to reduce. Postcode lotteries of approach in areas like domestic abuse and child exploitation have been addressed. Police resources are being deployed to meet needs and demands without the bureaucracy of mutual aid arrangements. Communities across Scotland are benefitting from access to specialist assets like air support and mounted police that were previously only available in the central belt."
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