THE embattled chief constable of a North-East police force has received a morale boost from a senior Labour MP.

Ashok Kumar, Middlesbrough South MP, has called on the public to support Cleveland Chief Constable Sean Price.

He spoke out in the wake of a damning report into the state of the force, which ranked it as one of the worst performing in the country.

He said: "Obviously, this report is disappointing, but I have to say that, given the chequered history of Cleveland Police, I am not surprised.

"What we all have to remember is that the present chief constable, Sean Price, has only been in his post for a short time, and most of the problems identified by the Home Office are long-standing.

"I have long been a critic of the force and the Cleveland Police Authority, under both the previous chief constable and the outgoing chairman of the police authority, Councillor Ken Walker.

"All the problems and issues identified by the Home Office happened on their watch, and it is they who will have to answer for the way they failed to tackle them.

"The new chief constable has said that he is confident the force will be turning the corner. He is already demonstrating this by the recent crackdown on drug dealers in our towns, the spirit of co-operation with local councils in the operation of their street wardens and security camera schemes, and in the setting up and operation of the financial recovery plan to overcome past financial deficits.

"He deserves the support of the entire community in his efforts to turn round Cleveland Police. It is a force and authority that has not been well-served in the past. I believe this is now changing."