Humberside Chief Constable Lee Freeman will take charge of Cleveland Police on a temporary secondment.

The three month arrangement was agreed this morning between Cleveland PCC Barry Coppinger and his Humberside counterpart Keith Hunter, following the resignation of Chief Constable Mike Veale.

CC Freeman will make his first visit to the force on Wednesday before taking up the post on Monday January 28.

Mr Coppinger said: “I would like to express my thanks to Keith and his team at Humberside for their continued support in facilitating these arrangements.

“Lee has an excellent track record and comes highly recommended by the College of Policing.

“I’m sure he will quickly establish himself and will bring a period of stability while we look to begin the recruitment process for a new Chief Constable”

CC Freeman said: “The sudden departure of a Chief Constable can have a significant impact for the staff at any police force. It is my aim to lessen this impact as much as possible to enable the hard working officers and staff to continue to deliver a great service to victims and the public.

“This is a temporary arrangement to support Cleveland Police through this uncertain period. The PCC for Cleveland, having sought advice from national policing bodies asked me if I would be willing to assist Cleveland Police. I discussed the request with Humberside PCC Keith Hunter and have agreed to support Cleveland Police for three months.

“I look forward to returning to Humberside at the end of the three month period and am completely confident that Humberside Police will be in very capable hands during that time.”

Deputy Chief Constable Chris Rowley will step up as Temporary Chief Constable for the duration of the three months.