CLEVELAND Police chief constable Barry Shaw could surely write a book along the lines of It Shouldn't Happen to a Chief Constable, such is the number of calamities which his force has had to deal with.

But after the furore over the latest incident involving a senior officer caught urinating against the Lithunian presidential palace dies down, serious issues about the management of the force should be addressed.

Just how much credibility does the force still have following the Mallon/Lancet business; the row over the scrapping of a senior officer's speeding ticket, and the assistant chief constable who retired early with a £180,000 golden handshake and handsome pension only to take a job as a police chief in the Caribbean?

Cleveland Police is one of the smallest police forces in the country but seemingly with the greatest ability to make a fool of itself.

Popeye-dol

Spectator's pleased to see that his tip for stardom in the Pop Idol TV talent contest - William Young - is still hanging in there, even if it was at the expense of Darlington's great hope Zoe Birkett.

The contest has been the talk of most workplaces, pubs and sitting rooms but it was refreshing to note that not everybody is glued to their TV screens on Saturday nights. At an ever-so slightly august gathering Spectator attended last Sunday lunchtime the conversion inevitably fell to debate about who would ultimately win.

After some minutes of discussion about the merits of William's voice and whether Gareth's unfortunate stammer would prove to be beneficial in swinging the sympathy vote behind him, one senior member of Darlington's business community said: "What all this about Popeye, then?"

What's your number?

We regularly report the steady increase in farmers diversifing to find new sources of income. But our chief photographer Nigel Whitfield, passing through Bilsdale, appeared to have captured in his lens a rather more spectacular example of the rush to find new revenue streams.

Spectator's not quite sure how many holidaymakers could be squeezed into this des-res (pictured right). Still there would clearly be no problem getting the phone connected