Surrey Police is the only force in the country to have increased it's number of frontline officers at a time of national cuts, a new report has revealed.

In the Valuing Police Preparedness report published on July 21, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies (HMIC) said the force and the Surrey Police Authority had acted early getting a clear grasp of the financial challenges facing policing and successfully addressing cost reductions since 2009.

The report praised Surrey Police for anticipating the cuts and the impacts they may have on services to local communities and the fact they had taken action to address this.

This has resulted in them in being able to add 200 frontline policemen to their ranks despite dire warnings that 34,000 police jobs could be lost nationally.

One of the measure the force has introduced to save money is axing police stations, with Epsom Police Station moving from it's Church Street base into Epsom Town Hall this month.

Opening hours have also been cut by six hours-a-day from 8am to 10pm Monday to Friday to 9am and 5pm with the police arguing that few people make use of its front counters.

Chief Constable Mark Rowley said: "I am extremely pleased the HMIC have recognised the hard work, progressive attitude and financial planning carried out by Surrey Police over the past few years. There have been tough decisions to make but we have not shied away from taking bold and innovative steps to meet the challenges head on.

"Our priority remains the safety and protection of the Surrey public and I am proud that confidence in local policing remains the highest in the country. While saving money was the driver for change, it was also an opportunity to think about how we could deliver policing in a different way and we will continue working to manage the financial situation whilst safeguarding the standard of service we deliver."

Peter Williams, chairman of Surrey Police Authority, added: "When the recession hit, we knew that the police service would not be immune from its impact. We took radical measures and we took them early, beginning the process of change in 2009. Today's HMIC report vindicates those tough decisions that were taken to protect front line policing in Surrey, which is the only force in the country to continue to increase its front line strength."