Surrey Police said the changes would not affect officer numbers

The North West Surrey division will be incorporated into the remaining North, West and East units from April 2008, it was announced.

But Surrey Police said the changes would not affect officer numbers or services in the county.

The force said it hoped the restructuring would go some way to help fill its �5.3m funding gap.

'Difficult decisions'

Surrey Police Chief Constable Bob Quick said: "Making divisional changes is not a decision that we have taken lightly, and we remain committed to maintaining our front-line staffing.

"We are being forced into making these difficult decisions because of our crippling funding situation, which has steadily weakened over the last six years, in spite of our success in saving �49m over the past nine years through stringent efficiency measures."

A spokesman said the force hoped to make any reduction in management or support structure posts through natural staff turnover or redeployment.