The Passing of a True Great

We lost a truly great man this weekend, our friend, Steve Black – know as ‘Blackie’ to all that knew him. Blackie spent time with us at Cleveland Police helping with a culture change that saw him engage with hundreds of staff members on a 1-2-1 basis and by extension, make Cleveland Police a better

Teamwork makes the dream work

These two very important items sat in front of my cap represent where I’m from and where I am; the Gwendraeth Valley and Teesside. From two different places they are inextricably linked; a source of fuel used to make the steel – materials that Teesside used to build the modern world. The lump of anthracite

Guest Blog, Assistant Chief Constable Lisa Theaker

I have watched the national coverage of policing following the shocking murder of Sarah Everard through three different lenses; as a woman and as a woman in policing and, more recently, as a senior woman in policing. Those three lenses have frequently been in conflict and accurately capturing feelings has felt complex which is why

Great leaders plant trees under whose shade they will never sit

Recent weeks at Cleveland Police have been characterised by a series of letters addressed to me as Chief Constable from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Service (HMICFRS) detailing our impressive progress. We’ve received a separate letter for each Cause of Concern raised by HMICFRS in their 2019 report and I’m delighted to

International Overdose Awareness Day 2021

Back in 2019, I left Hartlepool Police Station on a short walk in uniform to a meeting in the town. It was no further than fifty metres from the station when I was confronted with the stark reality of the scourge of drugs. I found two separate young men, both laying prone in the street

Exam results time!

It’s that time of year again where school pupils receive their grades for A-Levels and GCSEs in what has been the most challenging of years. It caused me to look back through my own records of (under) achievement! Those of a certain vintage will remember these booklets issued to school pupils in England and Wales.

Olympic Dreams and the power of hard work

You cannot fail to be moved by watching the Olympics and seeing the very human side of athletes as they realise dreams of a medal or experience the nightmare of falling short. What impresses me most about each and every one of them is that at the start of their athletic journey, success was not

Clears throat…I just want to say…

Diolch / Thank You We often forget the power that a simple thank you or recognition has on a staff member or colleague. Today, we’re sharing a glimpse into the reaction we had when we surprised nominees of our recent Cleveland Police Staff Awards to tell them that they had won. The categories included leadership,

200,000 reasons why our work is vital to communities

What does £2m worth of drugs look like? Or for that matter, what does £2m worth of anything look like? It might seem like a strange question but in the police service we often proudly tell the world how much drugs we seize without really quantifying what it means or how it looks. The monetary

Special Edition Blog – Assaults on Emergency Workers

You will have seen coverage of a reported incident this week in which one of our police officers was assaulted. As there has been a charge on the case, I am not able to say anything further about this whilst the case goes through the court process. What I can, and want, to talk about