Jacqui Cheer arrived amid Operation Sacristy and has had to deal with crippling police cuts :: Sophie Barley met the chief to look at the ups and downs of her first year
Jacqui Cheer was brought in to take over the reins of a controversy-hit force and she admits it has been a challenge.
This week marks the first anniversary of Mrs Cheer taking over the role as Chief Constable permanently.
She joined the force from Essex Police originally on a temporary basis and she admits that she knew the role was going to be a challenge.
She said: “It hasn’t been easy. I knew what I was walking into. I knew there was a large investigation running, I knew that the force had not had a Chief Constable or Deputy for six weeks. I knew it was going to be tough.”
View gallery Gallery: Jacqui Cheer
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She joined the force temporarily in October 2011 and then took over the position permanently in April last year.
She said that the original intention was for her to return to Essex Police.
She said: “I am happy that I stayed. It has been a challenge but this is a fantastic workforce. Officers in this force work very hard and they believe in what they are doing.
“And through all that has happened, they have kept their heads up and kept going. ”
Last month the long-running Operation Sacristy probe - an investigation into corruption at Cleveland Police - came to end with the Crown Prosecution Service announcing that they will not be charging any of the people investigated.
She said: “I don’t want to say that we are putting it behind us and forgetting about it because we aren’t. We have learnt from it and now more stringent checks and balances are in place to monitor the effective and efficient use of public resource.”
Financial cuts have also hindered Mrs Cheer’s first year in charge and more is to come with further cuts expected.
The force has already made £15.1m worth of savings since 2011 and now has to make £5m savings by 2015.
She said: “We have had no option with it and it is the same throughout the country. And we think we have another round of cuts that we will have to deal with. These cuts are eye-watering. But every force is having to deal with this.
“This has been the main challenge for me since coming to Cleveland and it is still ongoing. But once again I have to praise the professionalism of the workforce. They have just got on with it.”
Mrs Cheer hit the headlines herself when she failed a fitness test in September last year. The test is for front line officers only but Mrs Cheer took the test to set an example to her colleagues and also because she regularly goes on patrol.
She said: “It wasn’t something I was expected to do. I didn’t have to do it. But I like to still go out on patrol. That is important to me.
“I try and go out on patrol with officers as often as I can, sadly that hasn’t been much recently but I plan to more over the next year.
“I will be spending some time with the road policing officers soon and I was involved in carrying out some drugs raids early last year. I will be taking the test again - when my safety training is next due, I will do it then.”
Despite her first year being a challenge, Mrs Cheer said there has been some positives with crime figures dropping and some very successful investigations and convictions.
She said: “Fighting and reducing crime remains our number one priority. Protecting the public is paramount.
“Our officers want people to see how good they are and what they are doing to protect them, and that attitude and commitment has made this year a lot easier.”
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