Cleveland Police appoints temporary police and crime commissioner

Lisa Oldroyd will hold the position until elections are staged next year

An embattled police force has appointed a temporary police and crime commissioner (PCC) after the previous chief resigned last week.

Lisa Oldroyd will oversee Cleveland Police until elections for the role are held next May.

Barry Coppinger stood down saying he felt "under siege" following a critical report into the force last year.

He had also been referred to the police watchdog over deleted WhatsApp messages.

Ms Oldroyd had been working as assistant chief executive to Mr Coppinger in recent months.

Her appointment to the PCC role by Cleveland's police and crime panel followed a unanimous vote at the end of a 45-minute debate behind closed doors, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

In a personal statement, Ms Oldroyd described herself as a "dedicated career public servant" working on projects to prevent serious violence, violence against women and girls, as well as the roll-out of the Heroin Assisted Treatment project in Middlesbrough.

Barry Coppinger had long come under criticism for his performance in the PCC role

Regulations dictate any acting commissioner has to be a member of staff in the office at the time of the appointment.

When the assistant chief executive role was advertised earlier this year, it sparked a row between Mr Coppinger and Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen, who branded the £60,000 position as "jobs for the boys".

In reply, Mr Coppinger accused the mayor of using "sexist language".

Under Mr Coppinger's guidance, Cleveland was the first force in the country to be rated inadequate across all areas.

He had already announced he would not be standing for re-election.