Hove police station is to remain open when the division merges with Brighton, police chiefs promised today.

There were fears the Holland Road building would close in the March merger.

But Chief Superintendent Andy Bliss, head of Brighton police and the new Brighton and Hove division, vowed it would be "business as usual at the station, to continue serving the local community as it always has".

Mr Bliss is overseeing the amalgamation and while today's pledge will be welcomed, another announcement may bring disappointment.

Some councillors, police and members of the public were hoping the merger would herald the return of white helmets for police on seafront patrols.

But Mr Bliss said: "At the moment, we are not seeking to reintroduce them."

Another new idea is, however, still being considered - the reintroduction of police horses to Brighton and Hove.

Mr Bliss said results of a mounted patrol trial in Hove earlier this year were being studied. If horses were to come back, they might be housed at old stables at Brighton police station.

But Mr Bliss said the main priority was a smooth transition to form the new division.

He said crime-tackling performance might initially dip in the early days as staff become involved in the change but he believed it would quickly pick up and improve.

He said there would be no redundancies but some staff may switch roles as duplicated work was streamlined.

He said: "Cutting out two of everything could result in savings which would be used to put more police officers on the beat and in the front line."

He said the merger would mean officers would be better able to track villains who operated in one half of the city and lived in the other.

He said: "Criminals have no respect for the Dyke Road border and they will no longer cross it with impunity."

Successful initiatives currently running in either Brighton or Hove, including Hove's bike patrols and drives to increase police visibility, could be adopted city-wide.

"It means we will be more flexible and this we hope will improve performance", he said.

Superintendent Peter Coll, Hove police commander, said: "This is definitely not a case of stripping Hove and transferring staff and operations to Brighton."

"Amalgamation is not a cost-cutting exercise. It is a great opportunity for services to expand and performance to improve."

The Brighton and Hove division will have about 450 officers policing a population of 250,000.