More than 100 police officers and civilian staff in Fife are in consultation over the future of their jobs as the region’s control room prepares to close.
Police Scotland’s hub in Glenrothes, where 999 and 101 calls are answered and officers dispatched to emergencies, is expected to shut in March.
Staff have been given the options of relocating to the new east command centre being created at Bilston Glen, Edinburgh, redeploying or taking voluntary redundancy.
The closure affects 69 full-time equivalent posts for officers and staff in the area control room and 32 full-time equivalent staff posts in the service centre.
It is not yet known how many will transfer, redeploy or leave the force.
The base is one of several across Scotland being closed as the shift is made to three area control rooms across Scotland and a new command and control centre in Inverness for major incidents and national events.
Stirling will be wound up in December. Glasgow Pitt Street and Aberdeen will also close next year, while Dumfries and Galloway has already gone.
Dundee was one of just four retained.
Unison regional organiser Gerry Crawley is due to meet Fife members later this week.
He said: “The Fife area is being hit pretty badly. Jobs should be spread all over Scotland they shouldn’t be getting centralised in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
“The people who work in Glenrothes will, in the main, live in Fife.
“We are still in consultation and I will be speaking to members to find out what issues there are and if people are having any difficulties.”
Fife Commander Chief Superintendent Garry McEwan said: “There will be voluntary redundancies but there won’t be any compulsory redundancies.”
However, he stressed that the date for the closure would be flexible to protect the interests of both employees and members of the public.
He said: “Rather than work to a fixed timescale I want the transition to be as seamless as possible so that the good practice we have in Fife is moved across.”
When the control room closures were announced at the start of this year, just months after the creation of the national force, there was criticism that local knowledge would be lost and fears lives could be put at risk.
All 999 and 101 calls from Fife will be answered by staff across the Forth in Bilston Glen who will dispatch officers based in the kingdom.
Mr McEwan expects callers will notice no discernible change.
He said: “Hopefully the quality of service will be improved by gathering all the best practise from Fife, Edinburgh and Forth Valley in one hub.”