CHIEF constables from two North-East forces led the mourners at a funeral for a long-standing police officer.

More than 250 mourners gathered for the service for retired Chief Superintendent Terry Romeanes, who died last week, aged 58.

Mr Romeanes had a 37-year police career during which he was commander at Stockton, Hartlepool and Middlesbrough. He also headed several departments at Cleveland Police headquarters.

The tributes at yesterday's service, at St Cuthbert's Church, Stockton, were led by his brother, Trevor, and a former colleague, Chief Superintendent John Kelly.

Mr Kelly said: "Terry loved the police service and many said he was the best assistant chief constable we never had apart from a brief time when he was 'acting' in 1996."

Mr Romeanes joined Durham County Police Cadets in 1962, leaving six years later to join the Teesside Borough Force.

He became the youngest detective in the force and one of his family's proudest moments was when he was selected for the Bramshill detective college, said his brother.

Mr Romeanes' proudest moment was becoming district commander at Hartlepool in 1992, and a report several years later described him as "one of the most outstanding police officers of his generation".

The chief constables of Cleveland and Durham, Sean Price and Paul Garvin, were among those who attended the service.

Police motorcycle outriders accompanied the cortege to the church and members of the Superintendents' Association, of which Mr Romeanes was a past chairman for Cleveland, formed a guard of honour.

Trevor Romeanes described his brother as "full of energy and vitality" and said he would always offer to help anyone in trouble.

"He would always be the first to help, the first person there," he said. "Even if he had to pay the speeding fine.

"People say you can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family.

"If this family had their choice, all of us would choose Terry as a friend."

Mr Romeanes, who retired in January last year, died in Butterwick Hospice, Stockton, last Tuesday.

The Northern Echo attended the service with permission from his family.