New Ethics Lead

In a move seen as ground-breaking in British policing, a force is looking to appoint a new lead for standards and ethics, to bring their experience to the organisation whether or not they're from a policing background.
The move to recruit a standards lead for the new Directorate of Standards and Ethics at Cleveland Police is part of an ongoing review launched earlier in the year by Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Barry Coppinger and Chief Constable Iain Spittal.

Chief Constable Spittal said: "In 2013 I joined Cleveland Police as Deputy Chief Constable to bring change and work to improve the service we deliver to the communities we serve. "Now, as Chief Constable, I am very happy to be able to announce a major part of this change; the appointment of a new standards and ethics lead. The move to appoint a new external leader for police standards will I believe make us even better at serving communities in the future."

The Transforming Professional Standards review programme, launched in January forms part of the PCC's Police and Crime Plan objective to see Cleveland become a national lead in police standards.

PCC Barry Coppinger explained: "The Chief Constable and I are committed to ensuring that Cleveland Police becomes a more open, transparent organisation that learns from the past and becomes a national centre of excellence for the future. "This move - to appoint a new head of service who needn't be from a policing background-  represents a hugely important step change by the Force and offers the right candidate an unrivalled opportunity to shape the future of not just policing in the Cleveland Police area but nationally."

The wider programme of transformation is ongoing and has involved a detailed review of working practices and culture. The review is still ongoing but important changes have already been put in place; particularly around accountability, training and transparency.