A NORTH-EAST MP has defended the PCC and Chief Constable of a police force that has been deemed the equivalent of 'inadequate' and placed into special measures. 

Independent MP for Hartlepool Mike Hill said there had been "historic problems" at Cleveland Police which PCC Barry Coppinger and Chief Constable Richard Lewis "inherited".

Mr Hill, who said the recovery of Cleveland Police's reputation needed to start in his constituency, said he had seen the effect of Chief Constable Lewis' crackdown on 'drug houses' in the town.

He said: "The historic problems with Cleveland Police are well documented, the majority of which were to be frank inherited by the Police and Crime Commissioner, Barry Coppinger, and continue on to this day.

"His commitment to shaping a Force that is fit for purpose is commendable given the mess he inherited and the new Chief Constable, Richard Lewis, does deserve a chance to effect the changes he wants to make and restore the reputation of a Force that was once applauded as a pathfinder.

"I am confident of the ambitious nature Richard Lewis has adopted since taking Office as Chief Constable, and we have seen the effects of his new leadership in Hartlepool with the crackdown on Drug Houses in particular, but that is not enough.

"It is my opinion that it is as plain as the nose on your face that the recovery of the reputation of Cleveland Police has to start here in Hartlepool."

On Friday, Cleveland Police was given the worst verdict of an inspection of any force in history.

The force had been ranked as inadequate in every area inspected by police watchdog - Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services.

However, Mr Hill said Hartlepool had a "lack of police officers" in the town, adding that more needed to be done for the town.

He said: "My message to the PCC and Chief Constable is that some fantastic work is happening here in Hartlepool, particularly around crime prevention and early intervention.

"Hartlepool should have been the sharp focus of resources and interventions directly following a news article which quite frankly exposed the Town to even more criminal activity because of its revelations about a lack of sufficient Police numbers here. 

"Cleveland Police has lost over 500 frontline Officers since 2010 when Cameron and Osborne introduced cuts to Police and Public sector budgets.

"Even with the promise of money by the PM to recruit 200 new Officers that doesn’t make up the shortfall and so the Force will continue to struggle despite all of the positive work it has been doing.

"But with all that is happening the reality is that Hartlepool has been put under the spotlight by the media over a lack of those on the beat and our communities are suffering the consequences of that.

"It’s fantastic to see proactive and hard tackling of drug houses, but more needs to be done to make our streets feel safe again.  Cleaning up our streets is a priority for me and the people of Hartlepool who have simply had enough."