ACC Graham says he does not agree with the notion that people should not be contacting 999 if they think there is an emergency.

He says the police will explore events that are reported and learning outcomes will arise from that. 

ACC Graham says it does not mean people should not have phoned the police but it may mean they can refer cases to other services. 

Tory MSP Douglas Ross asks why the investigation into demand led policing did not take place when Police Scotland was created and asks what has triggered it now.

Assistant Chief Constable Malcolm Graham says it would have been good if the police had the capacity to do everything at once when Police Scotland was created.

ACC Graham says the focus when Police Scotland was created was to ensure police competence and respond to emergencies.

He says, as time went on, it became clear that the demand had to be looked at. 

"It has been a journey," he says.  

Join us for the debate this evening, which we hear may be delayed to 5.30pm. We will confirm this as soon as we know.

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SNP MSP Stewart Stevenson refers to the Police Gazzette from 1831 where a stray horse was on the front page.

ACC Graham says policing has a long evolution of change since the 1800s and people have always expected police officers to be caring and compassionate.

He says a painting at Police Scotland HQ sums up the mission of policing where a police officer is holding a child in a snow storm. 

Calum Steele from the Scottish Police Federation says police demand is not just about calls to service.

Mr Steele says there are many things the police need to deal with that do not involve calls from the public.

He says police deal with incidents and events like the Commonwealth Games, demonstrations, security of infrastructure and terrorist threats.

Mr Steele says it is not the case that all policing involves calls from the public. 

SNP MSP Rona Mackay asks if the police officers have the skills to deal with vulnerable people.

ACC Graham says policing has always been a profession requiring a number of competencies.

He says it has always been a job requiring compassion.

ACC Graham says the skills of officers is always increasing.

ACC Graham explains many of the calls on the police are due to concern for an individual.

This can be due to someone going missing or a person causing alarm due to mental or emotional distress.

He says: "The breadth of concerns people ring the police with is enormous."

ACC Graham says many incidents take a large amount of time to deal with but do not end up being recorded as a crime.

Assistant Chief Constable Malcolm Graham says in the last year more work has been done to look at the demand on policing.

ACC Graham says there has been a changing demand over the years.

Only one in five of the incidents attended ends in a crime being recorded he explains.

He says domestic abuse still takes the most time. 

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Assistant Chief Constable Malcolm Graham from Police Scotland, external uses his submission to say: 

"It is clear that both criminal and non-criminal events, especially surrounding mental health and vulnerability, have considerable implications for Police Scotland in terms of resources. 

"We remain committed to working collaboratively to provide the best outcomes to meet the changing needs of the people of Scotland."

Read the full submission here., external

SNP MSP Rona Mackay is at the helm after apologies from Margaret Mitchell.

MSPs will now hold a round table evidence session on demand led policing, taking evidence from:

• Amy Dalrymple from Alzheimer Scotland, external
• Cameron Black from the Bethany ChristianTrust, external
• Dr Peter Bennie from the British Medical Association, external
• Assistant Chief Constable Malcolm Graham from Police Scotland, external

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• David Liddell OBE director of the Scottish Drugs Forum, external
• Calum Steele from the Scottish Police Federation, external
• Bob Leslie from Social Work Scotland, external

ACC Graham also highlighted research indicating that the cost for managing missing-person inquiries in Scotland each year could range from £43m to £80m - the equivalent of 3% to 5% of the annual policing budget.  

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Doctor's organisation BMA Scotland also submitted written evidence to the committee, saying health bodies regularly collaborate with police in cases of people with dementia, those suffering from acute psychotic symptoms, mental health difficulties and personality disorders, as well as those intoxicated with drugs or alcohol.  

 A Scottish government spokesman said: "As we have made clear for some time, policing involves more than simply tackling crime and the Scottish Police Authority and Police Scotland are working on a long-term strategy for a flexible, modern and sustainable police service, building on the recently-published strategic police priorities.  

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About 80% of incidents attended by police officers do not involve a crime, Police Scotland has told a committee of MSPs.

Assistant Chief Constable Malcolm Graham said officers were called to more than 900,000 incidents last year.

But only about one in five resulted in a crime being recorded.

ACC Graham said many of the non-criminal call-outs involved missing people, mental health incidents or sudden deaths.

In his written submission, external, he said non-criminal incidents were placing an increasing demand on police time and resources.

Officers attended more than 42,000 incidents in 2014/15 involving mental health or distress.

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The Justice Committee, external will shortly begin its evidence session on its inquiry: Demand-led policing: service of first and last resort.

The evidence session will focus on the breadth and type of non-criminal work that the police service deals with, with a particular focus on how the police help vulnerable people, the skill-sets and resources the police service have in relation to this work, and the police service’s working relationship with other public bodies and third sector organisations working in this field.