An attempted robbery outside a bank became the first major crime to be investigated in the history of Scotland's new single police force.

The male victim had just deposited money at the night safe when he was grabbed by a man who had been standing at a nearby taxi rank, who demanded he hand over belongings. When the man refused, the suspect fled on a footpath towards the Dedridge area.

The suspect is described as white, 6ft tall, 30 to 40 years old, broad shouldered, heavy set, and wearing a blue anorak with the hood up, and a scarf over his face. He had dark trousers, a dark top and short dark hair.

Meanwhile, Mr House, who spent the rest of yesterday travelling to police offices across Scotland, vowed to carry a "proud history" of Scottish policing into a new era.

He said: "Police Scotland is up and running and is now wholly responsible for the delivery of policing to our communities, from local response to tackling the highest tiers of criminality. We will do this in a way which is very visible, accessible and which truly connects with public priorities, demand, and tackles threat, risk and harm where it arises. "

The national body replaces the eight regional forces which were created in the 1970s.

It becomes the second largest in the UK, after the Metropolitan Police, with 17,436 officers, 6168 police staff and 1404 special constables. The only real visible sign of change on day one was a new website, as well as 72 local Twitter feeds.

The reforms are designed to save about £1.7 billion over 15 years without cutting frontline staff. The SNP administration has made a manifesto commitment to maintain 1000 more officers than the 16,234 it inherited when it came to power in 2007. However, the merger comes at a cost of an estimated 3000 staff jobs, as many backroom functions, such as IT, are pooled.

The move to a single force has been dogged with criticism in recent months as a public power struggle emerged between Mr House and the head of the force's new civilian oversight body, the Scottish Police Authority (SPA).

Mr House was at loggerheads with SPA chairman Vic Emery over who should control the deployment of police staff, until Scottish Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill brokered an 11th-hour deal which will allow the police and SPA to share staff functions.