Senior officers fear Scotland's police college is not big enough to train the 1,000 extra officers pledged by the SNP.
Classrooms are to built and staff taken on at Tulliallan, but sources say it is not enough.
The ambitious announcement by Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill last year was welcomed by politicians and police chiefs alike but now, insiders say the ide
a is proving a "logistical nightmare".
Officially, the college, near Kincardine, Fife, says it will be able to absorb the additional officers.
But, behind the scenes, there are fears it may not be able to cope.
Last night, a senior Lothian and Borders officer told Scotland on Sunday: "The college already does a great job and is vital to the continued progress of policing in Scotland, but it does not have the capacity or capability to cope with these new officers being dropped on it."
A recently retired senior detective added: "No one has thought of how you are going to train these people and even accommodate them."
Pauline McNeill, the Labour MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, said the idea had been "rushed through" by the government.
But a spokesman for the college said work was already in hand in advance of the new arrivals.
He said: "The main concern is for staff to train the new recruits and we are reorganising that side of things and taking on up to 12 new members of staff.
"But we will meet the necessary requirement of the 1,000 additional officers."
The full article contains 256 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
