A POLICE force hopes to free up to 100 officers for frontline duties by conducting a sweeping overhaul of the way it operates.

Durham Police Authority has given its backing to a blueprint to reshape the face of the force over the coming year.

Moves agreed at the authority's annual meeting included:

* The present six territorial divisions replaced by two, one based in Darlington in the south of the county, and the other in Chester-le-Street, serving the north;

* A new team of 13 uniform inspectors to serve the operational areas of the county, responsible for community policing and controlling beat duties, to be in place by November;

* Twin control rooms, at force headquarters at Aykley Heads, Durham, dealing with calls to police in the north of the county, and a new centre at Bishop Auckland, handling 999 and routine calls in the south.

Durham Constabulary said the new framework would be allied to increased patrols, and speedier intelligence gathering and distribution, with information used to target persistent criminals, drug dealers and violent offenders.

Chief Constable Paul Garvin said "beefed-up" teams of detectives and uniformed officers would be available to mount more crime fighting operations.

More resources would be committed to tackling domestic violence, and child and family protection issues.

Stressing it was not a "cost-cutting" exercise, Mr Garvin said existing stations, section offices and dedicated beat areas would continue to provide a full service.

He said: "Durham Constabulary has been acknowledged as among the most efficient and effective in the country.

"We carried out this review from a position of strength, working to ensure that the best gets better.

"We cannot stand still. If we did, we would stagnate. Put simply, our reforms will cut the number of chiefs to provide more workers.

"Hopefully, the public will be reassured by the sight of more officers on the streets, spending more time tackling the problems of crime and anti-social behaviour that so often blight community life."

Mr Garvin said the process had involved exhaustive and lengthy consultation, and would result in no redundancies, and that the unions hadgiven their support.

The plans won the approval of the newly-appointed police authority chairman, Councillor Anne Wright, and were unanimously agreed at the annual meeting.