IT was with disappointment that we reported in yesterday's paper the departure of the director of finance at Cleveland Police.

Steve Preval left "amicably" having been suspended for nine months following the discovery of a £7.3m shortfall in the force's budget.

The most disappointing aspect of Mr Preval's departure was the gagging agreement between himself and the force. This means the public will never be able to get to the bottom of either Mr Preval's departure or the missing £7.3m.

Mr Preval himself must be the most disappointed because he will never be able to explain why he came to depart after being suspended.

The public need to know because they are the ones whose tax has risen by 13.8 per cent to cover the shortfall and whose streets are short of 100 officers who have not been recruited because of the shortfall.

Cleveland Police's reputation has been battered like no other force in the country over the past ten years. It has been battered by accusation and counter-accusation, all of which were investigated in secret. The outcomes of those investigations were never fully revealed to the public.

We believe that the new Chief Constable, Sean Price, has been a breath of fresh air. But this new departure would appear to be a return to the dark old days.

And Cleveland Police, more than any other force, must be seen to be as open as humanly possible if it is fully to rehabilitate its reputation.

We are not suggesting anyone has done anything improper, and we are not calling for personal matters to be publicly aired. We simply ask why is a gagging agreement required when there is nothing to hide?