A SCANDAL-HIT police force is to appoint a new lead for standards and ethics that does not have a background in the industry.

Cleveland Police has revealed it is to take the "ground-breaking" decision to recruit someone that does not have a police background to the Directorate of Standards and Ethics.

The move is part of an ongoing review launched earlier in the year by the force into its standards and ethics

Iain Spittal, Cleveland Police's chief constable, said: "In 2013 I joined Cleveland Police as Deputy Chief Constable to bring change and work to improve the service we deliver to the communities we serve.

“When I go out on patrol with neighbourhood teams and on shifts with response officers, I see the proof that we are a contemporary organisation where dedicated people risk their own lives to save others - it makes me proud to lead these people.

“The communities I am responsible for policing are now being served by a force that is stronger, better at keeping them safe and better at preventing harm to those who are vulnerable.

"The move to appoint a new, external, leader for police standards, will I believe make us even better at serving these communities in the future," he added.

Barry Coppinger, Police & Crime Commissioner for Cleveland, said: “The Chief Constable and I are committed to ensuring that Cleveland Police becomes a more open, transparent organisation that learns from the past and becomes a national centre of excellence for the future.

“This move – to appoint a new head of service who needn’t be from a policing background- represents a hugely important step change by the Force and offers the right candidate an unrivalled opportunity to shape the future of not just policing in the Cleveland Police area but nationally.”

During a visit to Teesside earlier this week, Home Secretary Amber Rudd said she will be "very interested" to see the results of an independent commission into Cleveland Police.

Ms Rudd also said she fully supported Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen's pledge to set up an independent commission to examine the force.

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.

"I will be very interested to see what the commission comes out with," she added.