MPS have praised Lancashire Police after a report commending the force on its effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy was published.

Among the highlights of the paper produced by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary was that police bosses were on track to meet the financial challenges of its spending review, which will see £80million slashed from its budget by 2017. Around 600 police officer roles have already gone.

Yesterday, union bosses said the force could be forced to axe up to another 500 frontline roles.

Gordon Birtwistle, MP for Burnley, said he was concerned that to meet the 'savings' targets, yet more police posts would be cut.

He said: "Lancashire Police have made the savings so well that it is now getting penalised.

"I do not think there are any more efficiencies that can be made. The police have reached the bottom of the bucket.

"However, we have done extremely well and we need to compliment what they have done."

Blackburn MP Jack Straw, who is a former home secretary, said he shared the concerns.

He said: "To the credit of the chief constable and the force, local neighbourhood policing has been protected despite the cuts, but I think a point is approaching soon where the cuts will be damaging to the safety of the public."

Jake Berry, MP for Rossendale and Darwen, added: "I congratulate the officers in Lancashire on a fantastic recognition of all their hard work.

"Despite the chief constable claiming every year since 2010 the changes in funding are going to damage frontline policing, we have consistently seen crime coming down across Lancashire."

It comes as Clive Grunshaw, Lancashire's police and crime commissioner, announced he was to 'disestablish' the roles of deputy and assistant police and crime commissioners.

He said: "The new office structure is designed to ensure I have the right job roles in place to deliver the priorities laid out in my Police and Crime Plan."

The commissioner said he was still in talks with the chief constable Steve Finnigan to finalise where the remaining £20million of cuts would come from.

However, Mr Finnigan said that although he was 'delighted' with the report, he was aware that he would have to lose more staff.

He added that he believed more investment was needed in the public protection unit, safeguarding, people missing from home and online crime.