A former chief constable is returning to frontline management of a force which has been put on special measures by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary – more than seven years after retiring from the police service.

Ex-head of Dyfed-Powys Ian Arundale has agreed to take up the reins as deputy chief of Cleveland Police in a complete role reversal with the force’s chief constable Richard Lewis .

CC Lewis took over the north-eastern force in April this year after a two-decade career with Dyfed-Powys where he rose from the rank of PC through to deputy chief constable.

DCC Arundale – who first joined the service nearly 40 years ago – has more recently been involved in working with international law enforcement and advising on policing matters as an expert witness.

He joins Cleveland, which earlier this month announced it had been put into special measures after an inspection by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services in May, with a “highly-respected” reputation across policing.

According to CC Lewis the new deputy “shares my drive and determination to steer Cleveland Police in the right direction for the people of Teesside and he is absolutely the right appointment for the force during this time of change”.

He added: “By having someone of Ian’s calibre as my deputy it will allow me to focus my efforts entirely on the challenges that we face over the coming year and lead the force to where it should be.”

The appointment comes as CC Lewis embarks on a path to redirect the Cleveland force with a focus on service improvement, protecting the vulnerable and community engagement.

In January, then Home Secretary Sajid Javid was asked to determine the future of a force that had seen the shock exit of a fifth chief in just six years – and brought into question a continued existence “in its current form”.

Mr Javid was asked to consider merging Cleveland potentially with neighbouring constabularies Durham or North Yorkshire while there have twice been calls this year from Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen for the region’s police and crime commissioner, Barry Coppinger, to resign.

Mr Lewis took up the reins of Cleveland in April following the dramatic departures of two previous chiefs.

Former chief constable Sean Price was sacked for gross misconduct over corruption allegations in 2012; and in September last year Police Oracle reported that then CC Mike Veale had a case to answer for misconduct for allegedly lying about how his work phone was damaged. Four months later he resigned – less than a year into his role.

DCC Arundale’s appointment represents something of a volte-face for an officer who retired as a chief after 32 years’ service – citing government reforms as part of the reason for his departure.

He said in June 2012 it was the “right time” to step down in light of the significant changes taking place which included the pending introduction of PCCs who were elected for the first time in November of that year.

He even predicted an “austerity crimewave”, stating “at the heart of it, people want to be safe when they go out onto the streets and they want to come back home and for their properties to be in one piece”.

DCC Arundale stressed on his return to the service: “I want to make a positive contribution to Cleveland Police and local communities and believe my experience and skills in police standards and performance fit with the chief constable’s overall plan for the force.

“I’m excited by this role as it allows me to use my expertise in policing alongside the additional knowledge I have gained over the last few years.”

His appointment comes a week after a joint inspection by HMICFRS and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland found failures to follow guidelines and a presumed bias in favour local candidates were a major problem in the process for selecting police service leaders. 

The report described the current approaches as chaotic, parochial, unfair and failing to equip successful candidates with the skills they need.