Middlesbrough crime report sparks parliamentary call for fairer police funding

Middlesbrough's crime and funding crisis

Middlesbrough has the highest crime rate per capita in the country, and residents say they are living in fear. A special report based on a month in the town has now led to calls in Parliament for fairer funding for Cleveland Police.

Police pressure and organised crime

Cleveland Police are dealing with that high crime rate but received the lowest funding increase. The force is stretched. The chief constable has said it is staffed like a rural force, with 223 fewer police officers than in 2010. Police chiefs believe they need an extra 500 officers, costing about £20 million a year. The request has been made to the Home Office, which has not yet approved it and is reviewing police structures across the country. Some residents fear a merger of forces could make things worse.

The special report followed the deaths of two Cleveland police officers and five young men in a head-on crash on the A66. PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough died when their patrol car collided with a vehicle travelling the wrong way down a dual carriageway. The five occupants, four of whom had previous convictions, died at the scene. Since the crash in August, 43 arrests and 14 charges have been made in connection with wider organised crime. Police say the incident has significant links to serious organised crime involving feuding gangs.

Officers gave exclusive access to Cleveland Police as they tried to break the cycle of criminality. Cleveland is the only force in the north of England to use drones as first responders. During the report, that technology was used to direct patrols to reports of a man carrying a knife. A firearms unit from North Yorkshire was also brought in to assist. Officers still face hostility. A chief inspector said a colleague had recently been bitten by a suspect and that assaults, spitting and swearing are daily occurrences. The force is still recovering from the deaths of Blades and Clough, whose names are worn on uniforms.

Community fear and antisocial behaviour

Residents described a sense of unease, especially after dark. In one troubled estate, a fire burned on a street corner. A father, Aidan, said he sleeps with crowbars beside him and keeps keys in the door ready to defend his family. He said anyone who moves there, whether for 30 years or 30 minutes, is 'dropped in it'. Children said they are too scared to play outside. One told the report that a park slide had broken glass superglued to it. Aidan called targeting children 'a new level of low'.

Some residents said cameras offer no protection because offenders wear balaclavas. They said drug dealing continues because it takes years to remove people from the streets. In a follow-up broadcast, thermal camera footage showed fireworks being set off between a busy road and a housing estate. Residents said it happens every night and every morning. Aidan warned that people are starting to feel an 'itch' to deal with the problem themselves, and that this could spill onto the streets with a bad ending.

The town's troubles run deeper than policing. The decline of steelmaking and shipbuilding cost thousands of jobs, and unemployment remains above the national average. Youth worker Lindsay said she used to be one of the children she now helps. She lived without a wage for two years to build youth clubs from nothing. Children said the club makes them feel safe and gives them discipline. One child said they wanted to be a police officer because 'the world needs to be a better place'.

Political fallout

After the report, the community met to tackle the crisis. One resident said society is 'crumbling due to crime' and that Middlesbrough has 'fallen apart'. In Parliament, an MP cited the report while calling on the policing minister to provide fairer funding for Cleveland Police. Another MP said the funding imbalance was indefensible, noting that three of the four most poorly resourced police forces in the country are in the North East. The minister said she stands with Cleveland in its desire to make communities safe. But the wait for extra funding continues.