CLEVELAND Police at last has reason to celebrate after a report hailed it as one of the country's most successful forces.

The report, by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabularies (HMCIC), Sir David Dowd, ranks Cleveland's performance among the best in Britain.

The boost marks an upturn in fortunes for the beleaguered force after a series of high-profile blunders - notably its failure to resolve the controversial Operation Lancet.

Most recently, it came under fire following reports of a police dog savaging innocent people and two officers being demoted for allowing a rapist to gain access to a 12 year-old girl.

But last night, leading officers were celebrating their excellent results, including a drop in crime by 2.8 per cent, putting the area's police in the nation's top 12 in terms of results.

Also highlighted in the report is the force's success in reducing burglaries, which fell by 13 per cent - more than double the national average, and thefts from vehicles, of which there were 10 per cent fewer.

While offending in the area is found to be at a nine-year low, senior officers believe there is still room for improvement.

Assistant Chief Constable Bryan Bell said current policing policies would be supplemented with initiatives and intelligence-led operations to ensure criminals are kept in check.

Among the areas he identified as future priorities were cracking down on drug related crime.

He said: "The force continues to perform well and it is good to see HMCIC recognise this.

"We are determined that improvements seen over the past 12 months will continue."