Humberside Police 'let down the public' says new PCC

Keith Hunter said chief constable Justine Curran had six months to produce a plan to improve the force

The new Police and Crime Commissioner for Humberside has said the force "has let down the public" after being rated inadequate.

Keith Hunter, who will take up his post on Thursday, said he wanted to set a "time limit" for improvements.

The former Humberside Police officer said chief constable Justine Curran had six months to "convince me that there is a plan".

Humberside was the only force rated "inadequate" by government inspectors.

Mr Hunter said: "I feel that Humberside Police has let down the public more recently and I think it's only reasonable that somebody in my position should put a time limit on how long we should expect the public to wait for an improvement.

"What I've said is I expect within six months for the chief constable to have convinced me that there is a plan.

"Not that it's six months or she's out, but there's six months to convince me that we are actually going to move forward."

'Serious concerns'

Humberside Police was given the poor rating in a review of police efficiency across England and Wales.

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary said the force had a "limited understanding" of demand for its services and raised "serious concerns" over the way it is organised.

Mr Hunter, who defeated the current PCC Matthew Grove in elections last week, said he saw his role "as much more a representative of the people rather than as spokesperson" for the force.

When asked if he would sack the chief constable if "she wasn't doing what she needed to be doing", Mr Hunter replied: "I wouldn't hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to secure an efficient and effective police service."

Humberside Police said it had "no comment to make at the moment".

However, it reissued a statement by Ms Curran from last week, which said: "I look forward to working with Keith Hunter in serving our local communities and keeping them safe."