Cleveland Police: Mark Webster in line to become chief constable

The man in line to become the seventh chief constable of Cleveland Police in less than a decade has been announced.

Mark Webster, the deputy chief constable of Cumbria, has been named as the choice of Cleveland's Police and Crime Commissioner Steve Turner.

It follows a lengthy recruitment process, which failed to find a suitable replacement for Richard Lewis in interviews last year.

Mr Webster's selection could be approved later this month.

Mr Turner said: "I am delighted to select Mark as my preferred candidate for the role of chief constable. At every stage of the assessment process, Mark proved himself as a talented and dedicated police leader with a wealth of experience in operational policing.

"Cleveland is not an easy place to police and therefore we needed a process that was going to put candidates to the test and draw out their extensive skills and experience."

Mr Webster started his career with Greater Manchester Police in 1992 and previously served as director of intelligence and operations at the National Crime Agency.

He was hired as assistant chief constable of Cumbria Constabulary in July 2017 and promoted to his current role in March 2018.

He was selected for the Cleveland force after staff were asked what qualities they wanted to see in the next chief constable.

The 343 workers who replied selected their three priorities as strong leadership, a long-term commitment to the role and being approachable.

Helen McMillan took over as Cleveland's acting chief constable in December when Richard Lewis left after two years at the helm to take over Dyfed-Powys Police.

Cleveland Police and Crime Panel will consider Mr Webster's appointment at a confirmation hearing later this month.

Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].