Dr Paul Williams on why he is standing to be the Cleveland PCC

Placed in special measures – the only force in the country to suffer such draconian punishment – it has a problematic reputation.

At the top of the tree, with the job of overseeing the force, is the Police and Crime Commissioner.

Under the watch of Barry Coppinger, it’s fair to say things have been challenging.

Mr Coppinger, who has come under plenty of pressure in his time, is not standing for re-election in May.

Dr Paul Williams, the former Stockton South MP, is Labour’s candidate. Ousted last December as MP when the blue Conservative tide changed the North-East’s political landscape, he has his sights set on replacing Mr Coppinger.

“It’s a challenging role, but nobody wanting an easy life would put themselves forward to be the Cleveland PCC, this is the only force in the country under special measures,’’ he said.

“No bones about it, we have significant problems here and high levels of depravation, high levels of drug abuse.

“But I want to change my community. I’m involved in politics for the right reasons – not for any status and I could do other things, but I really want to improve my community and make it better.

“I’ve been listening to what local people say – crime is the number one issue that communities worry about; they feel it’s not as safe as it used to. There are tales of children being exposed to drug sellers, people selling sex. It doesn’t feel in many parts of the Cleveland area as safe as it should, and someone should do something about that.’’

There is a feeling that Cleveland Police are finally coming through the challenges thanks to the leadership of Chief Constable Richard Lewis. But plenty of legacy issues remain from recent years.

Mr Lewis is the force’s sixth Chief Constable since 2012. He has recently signed a new, three-year contract extension, a welcome and positive move for the operation.

Dr Williams added: “There’s some immediate things to make a real difference. This is about more police on the street, more bobbies on the beat. You need visibility to give people confidence.

“Politics does come into it I’m afraid. Cleveland have lost 500 police over the last decade and while numbers are starting to recover with another 170 to come back, we are still 330 down and at a time when crime is increasing.’’

And with his experience of Parliament and the mechanics of the system, he added: “We need more police than before. If chosen as PCC I will be a voice shouting and jumping up and down every single day to Boris Johnson to make sure he gives us the resources that we need.

“It’s about more than just policing. We need to be tough on crime – we have increasing knife crime in this area and I would want to see more stop and search. I think we need to really tackle high levels of domestic violence.

“To coin an old phrase from Labour – you have to be tough on the causes of crime as well.

“Prevention, intelligent prevention, means working with schools, vulnerable people and people would not just want a more responsive police force, but less crime with it.

“That is through partnerships which help reduce it.’’

Given the criticism Cleveland Police have taken over recent years, Dr Williams admitted: “It is about restoring pride in Cleveland Police. I want people from Cleveland to say we are really proud of our force and we have a great force serving our community.

“At the moment we can say that about individuals, but not as a force and that’s not good enough.

“It’s about good leadership, good strategy and the right level of governance, the right person to watch the police and to act on the public’s behalf.

“The reason why I feel I have the skills for the job… I have held the NHS to account in a similar job as commissioner of services, ensuring quality is high while staying in budget.

“Working in politics as an MP means I’ve listened carefully to how communities feel about crime.

“I know how the political process works, the funding formula works, and I can pick up the phone and speak to people to get the resources for the area.

“It’s more helpful to have an outsider scrutinising them.’’

The election takes place on Thursday, May 7 and Dr Williams said he is going into the campaign with a positive outlook and a determination to succeed and in turn make a difference.

He said: “I’m deeply motivated to see a community where people are safe, feel safe, a reduction in crime and even though the vast majority of people in the force are good people and committed there are some who have let the service down and I desperately want to see a Cleveland Police we can be proud of.

“This is the chance to be the representative to hold the police to account and I have some qualifications that would mean I might be right for the role – now we will see if people agree.

“My ambitions are for a reduction in crime, a more responsive police force and people feeling safer. If I manage to achieve those in a four-year term then I would have done a very good job.

“Almost everyone working for Cleveland Police are doing a very good job, but there are some systemic issues within.

“The leadership in the past has not been good enough, although the current Chief Constable is widely respected and doing a really good job. There have been significant problems with leadership and culture.

“Those things are changing and it’s the job of the PCC to ensure those things continue to change, to hold the police to account and question everything to make sure nothing is taken at face value.’’

Steve Turner, of Redcar, has been named the Conservatives candidate for the election.