THE Government's police watchdog has given the Cleveland force six months to sort itself out.

Unless Cleveland Police improves its performance by the spring, Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary Ken Williams will personally intervene to make the changes he believes are necessary.

New Chief Constable Sean Price pledged that the changes were already under way and the necessary improvements would be made.

The stark warning was issued in a report that accused the force of offering the people of Cleveland a service that was 'not acceptable'.

The report, compiled in June, found: An inabi*ity to handle calls from the public led to officers attending crime scenes too late; some callers were not even asked for their name or contact details; the force had been "swamped" as the pressures on it continued to rise; and a wide-ranging organisational shake-up had been rushed through resulting in widespread confusion.

It said changes to policing roles had led to a 'them and us' culture between officers; staff lacked firm leadership and were calling out for guidance from the top; and illegal drugs had become cheap and plentiful on the streets of Cleveland.

The report said the Police Authority had failed to hold the force accountable and 'had some of its attention focused elsewhere' - a reference to the £5m Operation Lancet corruption inquiry that resulted in no criminal charges.

Although it found some good points, particularly the dedication of staff, the report said Cleveland had been weak in some important areas. It criticised devolvement of powers to four areas that effectively became mini-forces. The division into command units based at Redcar and Cleveland, Middlesbrough, Stockton and Hartlepool, had also created a lack of control from the centre.

And Mr Williams warned: "Her Majesty's Inspector expects to see sustained improvement over the coming months and will intervene if this is not delivered."

Inspections are usually carried out every three years. In Cleveland's case, however, the force will be scrutinised again next spring.

Mr Williams acknowledged Chief Constable Price, who was appointed in March, had shown 'the very type of strong leadership' that was required.

Mr Price said: "Our performance has and will continue to improve."