Whitehall funding won’t buy enough police officers to keep Cleveland safe

Deprived areas in northern England have gone “unseen and unheard” for too long, a chief constable has said, as she warned emergency Whitehall funding “won’t buy enough police officers”. Victoria Fuller, the head of Cleveland police, welcomed a £2 million cash boost from the Home Office but said £26 million was required to defeat organised gangs and tackle street crime. Most commented 1 Top Reform advisers step down after secret foreign funding sting Politics 1,314 comments Cleveland covers areas such as Middlesbrough, Redcar and Stockton-on-Tees. It is one of the UK’s smallest forces but has the highest crime rate in England and Wales. Top stories 1 Top five 2027 cruise and tour packages to book with Times Holidays Promoted content There was recently a week of high-profile disorder in the area after two police officers were killed in a head-on collision with a car travelling the wrong way on the A66. Five men in the car also died. In an interview with The Times, Fuller praised officers who recently retrieved firearms and ammunition buried in Mannion Park in Grangetown, near Middlesbrough. Three men were convicted of firearms offences and jailed for 35 years. Advertisement Officers retrieve firearms and ammunition buried in Mannion Park in Grangetown She cited operations to disrupt drug gangs and safeguard victims but said there was a “limit” to what her 2,463-strong workforce could achieve without sustained, long-term funding. Top stories 1 The French wine region with a new reason to visit at last France “We deal with issues akin to inner-city crime [but] the budget doesn’t match. I don’t want Cleveland to have the highest crime rate,” she said. “We’re robust in our policing style, we’ve been tackling organised crime. But we need the help; we need support on a scale significant enough [to] increase officer numbers.” The chief constable said she needed to recruit 270 officers to return to pre-austerity levels. Drug misuse, high unemployment, mental health problems and low educational attainment were fuelling crime and disorder. “These are complex, multi-generational issues that will not be solved by policing alone,” she said. “It won’t be solved overnight — and certainly not with £2 million.” Advertisement Tensions have flared since PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were killed in a head-on crash with five suspected joyriders on the A66 at South Bank on August 22. Jakub Matusiak and Michael Cahill, both 23, Makai Saddington, 18, and Cole Worthy and Theo Rae, both 17, also died. They were in a Volkswagen Passat going the wrong way when they collided with the officers’ marked car. The police watchdog is investigating. PC Tom Clough, left, and PC Matthew Blades were killed in the crash PA The group may have had links to “serious and organised criminal activity”, police said. Four of the five had 37 convictions between them for offences such as possession of a bladed article, car theft, possession of drugs, racially aggravated intentional harassment, and numerous driving offences. On Friday, a number of schools closed ahead of Matusiak’s funeral. Police said they were not involved in the decision. Middlesbrough, a former steel town, has attracted headlines and comparisons to a “war zone” amid a spate of violent incidents since the fatal crash. Advertisement Cars were torched at a memorial for Cahill, and a vehicle crashed into the wall of a property in South Bank. Twenty-six people have been arrested in relation to alleged offences including possession of a firearm and being part of an organised crime group. Jakub Matusiak, 23, was one of five young men who died in a car going the wrong way on the A66 Separately, Natalie McDonald, 34, and her niece Valentina Foster, seven, were killed in a house fire in Grangetown on August 26. It is not being treated as being connected with the A66 smash. Jaden Wright, 23, has been charged with their murders and will enter pleas later this month. Fuller acknowledged the “unprecedented and tragic” incidents, adding: “When we talk a place down, all it does is embolden the minority of thugs who want to do this place harm.” The Times met Fuller on Thursday at Cleveland’s headquarters in Hemlington, about five miles away from Middlesbrough. The force was preparing for PC Blades’ and PC Clough’s funerals next week. A GoFundMe appeal organised by Cleveland Police Federation, the staff association, has raised more than £1.2 million for the officers’ families. Advertisement Fuller became emotional as she paid tribute to her fallen colleagues. “It’s indescribable how the past few days have felt. There are a lot of people still processing what happened. Matthew Blades and Tom Clough were experienced police officers who did an incredible job, taking risks every day to protect communities. Victoria Fuller, Chief Constable of Cleveland police james glossop for the times “I’m really, really proud of them,” she said as she wiped away tears. “I saw Matty on the Wednesday [before the collision] during a visit to his base. “They served the public admirably and put themselves forward to be trained to carry firearms [and] be accountable for that. Yet on this occasion they didn’t come home. For the families, their colleagues and the communities it has been difficult to comprehend. “When I received the call on August 22… that was absolutely the worst day of my 27 years [in policing] but the workforce has continued with a real resolve.” Advertisement That resolve, however, has been tested by outbreaks of violence in pockets of the community. At least 730 officers have been drafted in from other forces to quell disorder but their deployment is short term. Cars were set alight after the news of Michael Cahill’s death emerged Meanwhile, the prison overcrowding crisis has put extra pressure on officers, Fuller said, because “we’ve got people who have been bailed but could be on remand”. She explained: “When you have the highest crime rate in the country and the issues of deprivation I’ve described, it’s no surprise that the recall of offenders disproportionately affects areas like ours. We need a justice system that supports us.” Fuller also hit back at “misinformation” about incidents being linked or related to organised crime. “There are people in the minority in our communities who are mindless in their outlook and lack understanding of the consequences of their actions,” she said. “They commit serious offences but there’s nothing organised about them. We see serious offending over a £20 drug debt; people do terrible things because of a minor dispute. This isn’t an issue that’s emerged overnight, this is an issue of generational problems in our area.” Lord Houchen of High Leven, the mayor for Tees Valley, told The Times last week: “It’s widely accepted in the community, and everybody knows it’s all organised crime, and everything that you’re seeing, post the death of the two police officers, is retaliation between feuding families and gangs.” Residents in parts of Middlesbrough have compared it to “living in the Bronx” — the once crime-ravaged borough in New York City. Fuller said in response: “It’s obviously difficult to hear that people in our communities have that perception. Nobody should fear being a victim of crime while going about their daily lives. It gives me the determination to do the very best we can.” Fuller, who joined Cleveland in 2022 and was appointed to the top job in June last year, said: “I’ve been asking for some time for additional funding from the Home Office. It was really disappointing when, over new year, we were given a provisional financial settlement which meant Cleveland got the worst percentage cash increase in the country.” On Tuesday, Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, told the Commons that Cleveland received a £7 million increase on its annual budget of £197.8 million, and the extra £2 million would “help tackle serious crime in the area”. Fuller said she has not seen the terms of the funding. She also said she has not spoken to Mahmood but has held talks with Sarah Jones, the crime and policing minister, and would “welcome further conversations” with them after the officers’ funerals. A Home Office spokesperson said: “We are grateful to Cleveland police, who have delivered a robust response in difficult circumstances. “We have been in regular contact with Cleveland police and local leaders, ensuring they have the support they need and engaging on their financial concerns. “This additional £2 million targeted funding will help Cleveland police tackle serious crime. We have also committed to a wider review of the police funding formula to ensure that force funding is fair and responsive to local needs.” Cleveland was removed from special measures in 2023 and Fuller said “we are arguably the second most improved force” behind Greater Manchester police. In the three years to November 2025, Cleveland recorded 10,000 fewer victims of crime, she said. Some 800 domestic abuse protection orders have been issued and the force deploys drones as first responders to incidents, arriving within 90 seconds. In recent weeks, Andy Burnham has pledged, as prime minister, to empower “forgotten areas” nationwide by transferring money and power into neglected areas and regional economies. When asked if Cleveland has been forgotten, Fuller said: “Cleveland police has been unseen and unheard in terms of additional need and resources because of the challenges we face. There are deep-rooted issues that require investment, not just in policing.” She added: “This is not a tale of ‘woe is us’. It’s a remarkable place. We are determined, committed, and punch above our weight with what we’ve got, and the public comes first. “I hope from such a tragedy, where the focus is on an area that probably wouldn’t be in the spotlight, we [can] have more conversations with the government about what we need here.”