Cleveland Police arrest 17 in Operation Artemis raids after A66 crash
Cleveland Police have arrested 17 people in raids under Operation Artemis, targeting drug and organised crime after the A66 crash that killed two officers and five young men.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Cleveland Police have arrested 17 people in a series of early morning raids across Middlesbrough and Teesside under Operation Artemis. The force said the arrests were on suspicion of offences including drugs and assault, and the operation targeted suspected organised crime groups and drug supply.
About 130 officers took part, including some from the National Crime Agency. Cleveland Police said four addresses were searched under warrants and five addresses were targeted because of links to individuals in the investigation into the A66 crash. Superintendent Daryl Tomlinson said more than 12 arrests had been made in the first two hours of the operation, which focused on the Grange Town area. He said the action would continue into the early hours and beyond, with further activity planned.
On the Spencer Beck estate, officers searched a property at about 9am and made four arrests after intelligence suggested drug dealing. Police also seized dangerous weapons and found what is believed to be a banned breed of dog.
The raids follow the A66 crash on August 22, in which two police officers, PC Tom Clough and PC Matthew Blades, died at the scene. All five occupants of the oncoming car also died. The car was being driven on the wrong side of the road. Since the crash, 34 people have been arrested as part of a wider investigation into serious crimes, including organised crime, drug dealing and firearms. Police said much of the intelligence for the latest raids came from the local community. They said public support after the crash had been strong and that residents had made clear that criminality was not welcome.
Residents and police described a long-standing problem with organised crime. Turf wars between rival gangs have seen violence spill onto the streets, and some people said criminals had controlled estates for years, with drug dealers no longer hiding what they were doing. Police said they wanted to reduce fear of crime and increase trust. Officers also pointed to intimidation, including family homes being rammed by vehicles, and said these tactics needed to be tackled head-on. Local people raised concerns about antisocial behaviour and a lack of facilities and opportunities for young people.
The operation has also exposed tensions over funding. Cleveland Police asked for 20 million pounds in extra funding but received 2 million pounds from the Home Office after the crash. The force says it gets the lowest settlement of any force in the country while facing some of the highest crime rates, and that the area has the highest crime rate per capita in England. It has warned that proposed reforms and possible mergers raise questions about its survival. One senior figure said mergers were a red herring and that a funding formula based on deprivation, poverty and crime rates, rather than population size, would give Cleveland the money it needs. Residents said more officers were needed on the ground.
Police said the raids were about protecting and reassuring communities while going after criminals who bring fear, misery and violence to local estates. They said similar large raids already take place every month across the force area, and that visibility is important in building confidence. The force said the latest operation would continue into tomorrow.
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC One | Channel 4 | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operation Artemis deployed more than 130 officers to the streets of Teesside. | · | · | ||
| The initial arrests were part of a series of raids across multiple locations that resulted in 17 arrests in total. | · | · | ||
| A crash on the A66 on 22 August killed PC Tom Clough, Matthew Blades and all five occupants of the other car. | · | · | · | |
| Cleveland has England's highest per-capita crime rate, and its police force faces an existential threat from proposed reform. | · | · | · | |
| Cleveland Police made at least 12 arrests during raids in the Middlesbrough area. | · | · | · | |
| Cleveland Police requested £20 million in additional funding, while the government offered £2 million. | · | · | · | |
| Four arrests were made at a property after intelligence indicated drug dealing. | · | · | · | |
| Local police said a proposed merger with Northumbria and Durham would still leave the three forces 584 officers short of 2010 staffing levels. | · | · | · | |
| Police searched four addresses under warrant and targeted five others in connection with the A66 crash investigation. | · | · | · | |
| The police operation focused on the Grange Town area and targeted organised crime and drug supply. | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News led on the number of arrests and the direct link to the A66 crash, with access to one of the raids and an interview with Superintendent Daryl Tomlinson. It stressed that the operation was ongoing and that police were targeting drug supply and organised crime, while also highlighting community fear and reprisals. It did not cover the funding shortfall, merger debate or the wider 34 arrests reported elsewhere.
- “At least 12 people have been arrested after police in Cleveland carried out raids on a number of properties in the Middlesbrough area this morning”
- “Four addresses have been searched under search warrants and five addresses have been specifically targeted in relation to individuals linked to that particular investigation at the crash on the A66”
- “We've seen family homes rammed by vehicles in Several locations.”
5 focused on behind-the-scenes access and the pressure on Cleveland Police, framing the raids as a show of force in a town facing crime and chaos. It gave prominence to the funding gap, with the force asking for 20 million pounds and getting 2 million pounds, and to residents' calls for more officers. It also reported seizures of weapons and a suspected banned breed of dog at one property.
- “They asked for £20 million of extra funding. The government said, look, we can give you £2 million.”
- “All of this is possible because of Operation Artemis, which has brought more than 130 officers to the streets of Teesside.”
- “Four arrests after intelligence suggest drug dealing at the property.”
Channel 4 put the raids in a political and structural context, focusing on Cleveland's position as the area with the highest crime rate in England and the force's fight for funding and survival. It covered the merger debate directly, quoted criticism of reform, and tied the arrests to the A66 fatalities. It reported more than 100 officers drafted from across the UK and later said over 130 were on the ground.
- “This is the part of England with the highest crime rate in the country, with the police force under existential threat from proposed reform.”
- “These arrests were the first of 17 in a series of raids across multiple locations.”
- “I don't think mergers is the answer. I think it's a red herring.”
BBC ONE West gave a straight account of the day's operation, with the highest arrest total and the clearest timeline of the wider investigation. It reported 17 arrests, about 130 officers including National Crime Agency support, and 34 arrests over the past month. It also highlighted community intelligence and gang turf wars, with less focus on the funding and merger row.
- “Cleveland Police said 17 people were arrested on suspicion of offences, including drugs and assault.”
- “The operation involved about 130 officers, including some from the National Crime Agency.”
- “Over the last month, 34 people have already been arrested as part of Cleveland's wider investigation into serious crimes since the crash.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.