HOME secretary Amber Rudd has said she will be "very interested" to see the results of an independent commission into Cleveland Police – but would not be drawn on whether she is in favour of a merger with neighbouring forces.

As she visited the region yesterday to take part in a private event looking into the issues around forced marriage, Ms Rudd said she fully supported Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen's pledge to set up an independent commission to examine the scandal-hit force.

While she praised front-line officers after speaking to some at a meeting to discuss antisocial behaviour in the Berwick Hills area of Middlesbrough, she said: "It seems to me that the Mayor has done exactly the right thing.

"Although the police force was rated as good in its most recent inspection it comes from a very low base, so it is right to see if we can take a lead, with the support of the Police and Crime Commissioner, to take a really independent view of what else can be done.

"For Cleveland Police now it is really about rebuilding trust in the community and showing that they can now move on from the really difficult events of the past and live up to what we hope is their new reputation."

Conservative MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland Simon Clarke, who was accompanying Ms Rudd on her visit to his constituency, praised current chief constable Iain Spittal, saying he had been open and was determined to move the force on.

He said: "It is now about escaping the shadow of the past, and it is better to resolve this issue once and for all rather than just constantly having this debate."

Ms Rudd said she was not prepared to comment on whether she was in favour of Cleveland merging fully with the Durham and North Yorkshire forces, adding: "Let's wait and see how this commission proceeds."

When pressed if she would act on the recommendations of the independent review, she said: "I will be very interested to see what the commission comes out with."

The Home Secretary also spoke about the problems with drugs in prisons, in particular Holme House in Stockton which has numerous prison officers off sick due to the after-effects of inhaling Spice, and recently uncovered a major Spice smuggling operation there.

Mr Clarke said he was planning to visit the prison soon to see how it is tackling the issue, and she asked him to update her after his visit.

She added: "This forms part of our drugs strategy, working closely with governors and prison officers, and ensuring governors are taking steps to address the new forms of drugs and how they are being smuggled in – and we need to make sure we get ahead.

"I will be keeping an eye on that one."

Ms Rudd met with community leaders in the Berwick Hills area of Middlesbrough – part of Mr Clarke's constituency – to listen to their issues around anti social behaviour and crime.

"We were speaking to them about how the police were managing it, were they doing enough, and what more we can do to improve the status quo. While anti social crime is down 23 per cent here, every bit of it matters and people feel it is too high in this community, so we were talking about the role drugs, alcohol and boredom play."

Mr Clarke said the key issue was early intervention.