'It's a failed force, the worst force in the country, it needs chucking in the bin and starting again'
| Published date | 19 May 2022 |
| Publication title | Evening Gazette |
Mr Houchen said: "Everybody knows my views on Cleveland Police and they haven't changed much in the last few years. They are recruiting more police officers, but because of the time it takes they are not going to recruit the 150 planned for the next couple of years.
"I still think it's a failed force, it's the worst force in the country, it needs chucking in the bin and starting again."
Mr Houchen also said he had heard "horror stories" about the way the police respond to calls about crimes being committed and said he wanted to send a "very, very clear message to
Cleveland Police that something has to change".
He added: "The only thing I have ever asked Cleveland Police to do is their job and at the moment they are not doing their job. They are not just failing local people, they are failing local businesses.
"It's potentially, if we are not careful, limiting investment as investors won't look to an area that could be perceived as being high crime, which could push investment elsewhere, so it's a real problem.
"They need to start doing their job, I've been saying it for the last five years, people continue to push me out of the conversation, but what we are doing now with Middlesbrough, I am going to be getting a lot more involved in that conversation."
In 2019 a Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) inspection report ranked Cleveland Police as inadequate in every area, although progress has been made with a number of recommendations aimed at improvements since.
There have also been continuing concerns over anti-social behaviour in many communities and criticism of how non-emergency calls to the force are being responded to.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service put Mr Houchen's comments to new Chief Constable Mark Webster and Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Steve Turner with both refusing to be drawn into a war of words.
Mr Webster said: "After only a few weeks as Cleveland's chief constable, I have been deeply impressed by the hundreds of people I have met so far.
"Teams are working...
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