IT is highly unusual for a judge to be so enraged that he calls a senior police officer before him for a severe reprimand in the public arena.

That is what Judge Richard Henriques did when he summoned Chief Superintendent Kevin Pitt to Hull Crown Court five months ago, following the collapse of a £500,000 trial.

The judge pulled no punches when he told Chief Supt Pitt: "You have shown absolutely no regard for the criminal justice process."

The police officer had angered Judge Henriques by submitting a 400-page document on the eve of a trial into charges against Detective Inspector Russ Daglish and Detective Constable Brendon Whitehead, of Cleveland Police, over the alleged theft of a boiler.

The judge said the case revealed a "catalogue of errors by senior members of the Cleveland police force" and called on Chief Constable Barry Shaw to take "appropriate action".

Anyone reading details of the judge's comments could be left in no doubt about the seriousness of the failings of those involved in preparing a case which - and it bears repeating - cost £500,000 of public money.

So has the Chief Constable taken any action against Chief Supt Pitt? The truth is that we simply don't know - because Cleveland Police won't say.

All we know is that the officer is working as a district commander at Stockton.

Meanwhile, Detective Superintendent Ray Mallon remains suspended - cleared of criminal wrongdoing but still facing disciplinary charges - and waiting, waiting, waiting to find out if and when he can return to work.

Not for the first time, the people served by Cleveland Police could be forgiven for wondering what is going on in their local force. Don't they have a right to know if any action has been taken in the light of a judge's outrage at the apparent waste of £500,000 of public money?

A huge amount of public money has been spent on the various investigations surrounding Cleveland Police. So far, it is hard to see the value of that spending or a conclusion which will restore public confidence.

That is why there can be no other alternative but to carry out a full public inquiry. The people of Cleveland have been kept in the dark for too long.