Crime21 September, 20263 min read
Cleveland Police Arrest 17 After Early Morning Raids Across Middlesbrough Linked to A66 Crash
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Seventeen people arrested across South Bank, Grangetown and Eston as part of Operation Artemis. The operation involved about 130 officers, including personnel from the National Crime Agency.
Arrests After A66 Crash
Cleveland Police carried out early morning raids targeting those suspected of being involved in organised crime, and the force said 17 people had been arrested during the operation. The raids involved about 130 officers including some from the National Crime Agency across South Bank, Grangetown and Eston, near Middlesbrough, and officers used battering rams to force entry to several properties as parents walked past with their children on the school run. Cleveland Police linked the crackdown to a crash on the nearby A66 last month that came at the end of a police pursuit and left two officers dead.
Officers PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, died at the scene, and all five occupants of the Passat died after the Volkswagen Passat went the wrong way down the road and hit a Cleveland Police armed response vehicle. Operation Artemis involved more than a hundred officers drafted in from across the UK, and the effort was described as increasing trust from the community after the fatal A66 crash.
Operation Artemis Details
Cleveland Police said the operation began shortly after 08:00 BST with roads temporarily blocked by patrol cars, and the force said it targeted suspected members of organised crime gangs. Cleveland Police said Monday's raids saw people arrested on suspicion of various offences including drugs and assault, and it said officers used battering rams to force entry to several properties. Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hall told the public that "It's clear criminality of any sort is not welcome on these estates" and said officers were there to act on concerns.
Cleveland's Police and Crime Commissioner Matt Storey said, "They see people arrested, charged and taken off the streets," and he said it showed the public good work was happening despite the problems in communities. The Northern Echo said Operation Artemis involved the National Crime Agency and North East Regional Organised Crime Unit joining Teesside officers, and it said Cleveland Police confirmed 17 people were arrested on suspicion of a variety of offences including drug dealing and theft of a motor vehicle.
Seizures and Court Case
Police said the operation included drugs warrants and arrests for offences including drug supply and theft of a motor vehicle, and the Irish News said seizures included suspected class A and class C drugs, cash, a knife, knuckle duster, a baton, an illegal e-bike, an electric scooter, an electric assisted pedal cycle or “revvi” and a suspected stolen wacker plate construction tool. Officers made four warrants and made 17 arrests on Monday afternoon, and police carried out drugs warrants and arrested outstanding suspects in Redcar and the South Bank and Grangetown areas of Middlesbrough. The Northern Echo said a fundraiser for the families of PCs Blades and Clough raised more than £1.2m, and it said Cameron George, 26, of Micklow Close, Redcar, appeared at Teesside Crown Court and pleaded not guilty to possessing cocaine with intent to supply and possessing criminal property on August 22.
Judge Francis Laird, the Recorder of Middlesbrough, remanded Cameron George in custody until his trial on February 4, next year. Public support after the crash had been ''absolutely phenomenal" and Mark Hall said officers would act to tell those people they had heard their concerns.