Surrey’s most senior cops are facing the axe as experienced officers are forced out by funding cuts.

The Surrey Police Federation (SPF) said 11 long-serving officers had already been told to hand in their badges by April next year.

Those served with enforced retirement notices included detective inspectors who deal with crucial issues such as cross-border crime and persistent young offenders.

The police are not allowed by law to make staff redundant but do have the power to retire officers who have more than 30 years service and will therefore be on the highest salaries. The SPF said a further 24 senior officers – including chief superintendents, superintendents, chief inspectors and inspectors – would be lost over the next four years.

The move, which comes as Surrey Police looks to save £23m over the next three years, has been criticised as putting the force’s ability to deal with major and critical incidents “at significant risk”.

It also comes on the back of plans to close all of Elmbridge’s police stations in Esher, Cobham, Walton and East Molesey, and replace them with police “hubs” in town centres.

SPF chairman Kieran Diamond said: “The majority of these officers are experienced, seasoned detective inspectors who have been doing the job for a long time and we’re losing this experience.

“The considerable loss of experience within the leadership of the organisation may impact negatively on the force’s capability as well as potentially impacting on confidence and satisfaction and increasing the risks to the service.”

Police statistics in 2008 revealed people from outside Surrey were responsible for 47 per cent of crimes committed in the county.

In February 2009, Peter Sonny Martin O’Halloran, 34, was arrested by Surrey Police cross-border investigation team regarding seven offences, including an attempted burglary in Princes Drive, Leatherhead, in 2007 and a burglary in Sandown Avenue, Esher, in December 2007.

He was sentenced to eight years imprisonment in July 2009, after pleading guilty to nine counts of burglary and one offence of transferring criminal property.

Mr Diamond criticised the move to reduce the numbers of detective inspectors.

He said: “This option should be a last resort and if all this valuable policing experience is forced into compulsory retirement, we’re surely throwing the baby out with the bath water.”

Under the new proposals the force hopes to recruit up to 200 extra frontline officers over the next 18 months.

A spokesman for Surrey Police said the force was having to make “hard decisions in an extremely tough financial climate”.

He said: “No decision has been made as yet, but the Chief Constable will recommend to the Surrey Police Authority that Regulation A19 is invoked.

“Surrey Police recognises the valuable skills and experience of all of our officers, and this decision to ask the authority to invoke Regulation A19 has been difficult, but we must take every measure available to protect our frontline service and reduce the financial burden we face.”