Police services in Bromley, Croydon and Sutton are merging together as one as the Met announces major changes amid financial pressures.

The 32 borough model is being replaced by 12 Basic Command Units, which the Met says will save money and increase efficiency.

A chief superintendent BCU Commander will now lead Bromley, Croydon and Sutton police officers.

This news comes after Scotland Yard say they are facing “significant financial challenges” and must make savings of £325 million by 2012/22.

Bromley, Croydon and Sutton officers will share buildings and resources as well as sharing borough boundaries.

Chislehurst MP Bob Neill has called the decision a "mistake". 

He said: "It is completely illogical. To have a commander covering Bromley to Sutton is very strange. 

"I think residents have a right to be concerned. It seems like more resources are coming out of suburban London and there will be more concentration on inner London. 

"This decision was not forced on the Mayor. It is bad news for us locally. 

"I'm sure the coppers will do as good a job as they can but that is not the point." 

Mr Neill added that he believed it would have been more prudent to merge Bromley and Bexley commands or Bromley and Lewisham rather than joining forces with Croydon and Sutton. 

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Mark Simmons said: “Local policing is at the heart of what the Met does every day, and we will improve it further by offering a service that is more personal and responsive to the needs of Londoners.

“BCUs will allow us to put first victims of crime and those people who need us the most. Our new structure will also give us the resilience and consistency we need across the whole of London, so we can continue to respond to large scale incidents and meet the financial and operational challenges we are facing.”

MP for Carshalton and Wallington Tom Brake said he will "fight the proposal".

He said: "It is a very bad move and I am very disappointed. It is essential to have a borough commander who is focused on the borough and the borough alone. 

"Every borough is very different and it has very different problems and there is a real risk that this is a one size fits all approach. This would not be suitable for Sutton."

More resources are being put into officers working with young people, schools as well as with care homes. There are also more officers being put into 999 and 101 call centres to cope with increased numbers of calls there.

The merging of police teams will be brought in over the next 12 months.

Ealing, Hillingdon and Hounslow, along with Kingston , Merton, Richmond and Wandsworth will be the first two Basic Command Units introduced.