Scotland's eight police forces are planning to stave off any threat of amalgamation by working together more closely and outsourcing specialist services in areas such as murder investigation.

Stephen House, Chief Constable of Strathclyde Police, has called for greater collaboration between forces to cut costs and improve services.

Speaking exclusively to The Herald, Mr House, who took over leadership of Scotland's largest force six months ago, revealed that talks are under way on how forces can share specialist units in areas such as firearms protection and complex murder cases.

He also raised concerns about funding for counter-terrorism in Scotland compared with the rest of the UK, and called for a discussion about the "dichotomy" of having a UK-wide strategy on counter-terrorism funded separately north of the border.

Mr House, chairman of the crime committee of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, believes the future of policing lies in greater joint-working rather than in the creation of a national force.

"I don't think amalgamation is on the table," said Mr House. "It is not where we are headed and collaboration is a much more real-world solution."

The corridor of power in Scotland's largest force is the place where the highest-ranking officers converge to manage some 7400 police, who in turn protect 2.3 million residents.

While the head of the new Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA) and Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary talked of plans for greater centralisation and "supra-force" structures, Mr House has got on with radical plans to transform Strathclyde.

As part of his focus on community policing, he announced plans to swell the ranks by 750, taking officer numbers to 8200.

He told deskbound superintendents they must do eight shifts a year on the streets as part of moves to get more cops out on the beat.

He wants Strathclyde to have as many officers as the similar metropolitan forces of Greater Manchester and West Midlands, which have 9000.

Mr House revealed plans to increase the numbers of volunteer special constables.

"If you look at the comparative figures proportionately we have not got very high numbers of special constables," he said. "We have about 300 where comparative forces such as West Midlands has 900.

While getting to grips with the force, he has been developing his views on Scottish policing. Faced with increases in the demands on forces and tightening budgets, Mr House and other chief constables are looking to stave off any threat of centralisation., with collaboration top of the agenda. Senior officers are keen to take the arrangements further.

He suggested forces should look to sharing specialist homicide units and Tayside, Central and Fife are working on a single mobile firearms unit.

"We are where we are. We are there for a reason but as Paddy Tomkins HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary said, policing is in better shape than it's ever been. How could we improve? Develop our links even more," he said.

"I'm sure there will be a debate about how the forces collaborate."

On the subject of counter-terrorism he would like to address the "anomaly" which means the UK works to one single counter-terrorism strategy but that it is paid for differently north of the border.

"The Scottish Government's aim is that we are no less safe from terrorism than England and Wales. It is a bit odd that you have a national strategy but local funding. You would expect to have a UK strategy funded by the UK."

He did not, he said, have a political outlook on the issue. It is something he wished to resolve - regardless of the fact it may be a thorny issue to grasp.