WE take no pleasure in describing one of our police forces as “flawed, inept, dishonest and damaged”. However, those words are a fair reflection of a damning report into the latest scandal involving Cleveland Police.

At the beginning of the week, we called for the report by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to be made public. With no sign of any moves towards transparency, we have obtained a copy and published its details today.

It is a report into the background to the wrongful arrest of solicitor James Watson, who was targeted for allegedly perverting the course of justice surrounding a kidnap case. He has now been paid more than £500,000 in damages as a result of the police bungling.

The IPCC report paints a disturbing picture of a police force which would not listen to advice, ploughed on with a costly investigation which had no foundation, and made serious errors of judgement because of cosy relationships between senior officers.

We have sympathy with new Chief Constable Jacqui Cheer, who is praised in the report for her efforts to clear up the mess. But this latest sorry episode into what went on before she took over will inevitably further erode public confidence.

With the previous chief constable and his deputy already sacked in behind- closed-doors hearings for gross misconduct, the reputation of Cleveland Police is in tatters.

We do not yet share the view that the force’s credibility is so damaged that it should be scrapped and merged with neighbouring forces. We still believe that local people need a police force that is managed locally.

But the culture of secrecy which has existed over the conduct of officers must be lifted because the criminal justice system in Cleveland cannot go on being undermined by the perception that the police have to be policed.