Sir Ronnie is responsible for inspecting eastern region forces

Home Secretary David Blunkett announced the review in the wake of the sentencing of Ian Huntley for the murder of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman.

The inquiry will look into child protection procedures in Cambridgeshire Constabulary and Humberside Police, while also assessing the effectiveness of vetting practices and record keeping.

There have been calls for the vetting system to be overhauled and for the police to keep better records.

PREVIOUS ALLEGATIONS AGAINST IAN HUNTLEY One of indecent assault Four of underage sex Three of rape - one resulted in a charge Clarity urged over data act Q&A: Vetting school staff

Concerns have been raised about how Soham murderer Ian Huntley was allowed to work with children despite past allegations of rape and underage sex.

Home Office minister Hazel Blears said in a Commons statement that police forces must have better systems for inputting arrest and conviction details.

She said a year-long study of forces' performance was "not encouraging", but that new practices had been put in place to overcome failings.

Police interviewed Huntley 10 times in the 1990s over accusations of having sex with underage girls and alleged rapes.

Despite this frequent contact, he was still cleared by the police vetting system and employed as a school caretaker.

Huntley murdered 10-year-olds Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman

Details of his arrests had been deleted from police files.

An urgent review of how his background was checked was carried out by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and a report leaked to the BBC found details of convictions and arrests were not being inputted into the national computer.

However, the president of the Police Superintendents' Association, Kevin Morris, said there was confusion about what records should be kept by forces.

This had led to the policy being interpreted in different ways by different forces, with some "weeding out" more information than others.

LOGGING ARREST REPORTS Police target: 90% within 24 hours England (average): 79% within 24 hours Wales (average): 76% within 24 hours Source: Home Office statistics

Sir Ronnie became one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Constabulary after retiring from his post in April 2002.

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) is responsible for examining the efficiency and effectiveness of the police service in England and Wales.

Sir Ronnie has responsibility for inspecting forces in the eastern region, including the Metropolitan police.