More than 200 extra police officers have been drafted in to help Cleveland Police keep “innocent residents” safe following a string of violent incidents across Middlesbrough which have left nine people dead.
Investigations were continuing after a woman and a seven-year-old girl died in a house fire in Grangetown, near Middlesbrough, on Wednesday, which was only a mile away from the scene of the head-on crash on the A66 on Saturday which killed two police officers and five young men. In the early hours of Thursday morning, a vehicle crashed into a wall outside a house in Steele Crescent, South Bank, minutes away from the other two scenes.
Extra officers deployed
Following the incidents, Alec Brown, leader of Redcar and Cleveland Council, said more than 200 extra police officers have been, or will be, deployed from around the country to support Cleveland Police.
On social media, he said: “Thank you so much to the superintendent from Cleveland Police that has just taken their time to give updates to myself, Anna Turley (MP for Redcar), South Bank and Grangetown Ward councillors. They are working 20-hour days to ensure the ongoing safety of innocent residents. Over 200 extra police officers from forces around the country are here and are en route, from detectives to armed response. I will be sending a letter today to our Prime Minister asking for even more resource. The police really are doing an amazing job. If it is any reassurance at all, jobs called in to the police are actually down this week, however, the seriousness of the ones that have been called in need serious and swift action. Everyone is heartbroken over the loss of the aunt and little girl in Grangetown yesterday. People need to feel safe in their homes.”
Political response
Ms Turley said in a post on Facebook: “I know how worried people are, and understandably people want to know what is being done. There is a significant response under way, with additional officers and resources being brought into our area and agencies working together around the clock.” She added: “People have a right to feel safe in their homes and in their communities. That is our absolute priority.”
Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38, died in the head-on collision with a Volkswagen Passat on Saturday. Cole Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jakub Matusiak were also killed in the incident. Police have arrested 17 people following the A66 crash, charging two of them and bailing the others, as part of investigations into alleged organised crime.
Ongoing investigations
Meanwhile, two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder in relation to the fire which killed Natalie McDonald, 34, and seven-year-old Valentina Foster, and injured four others. Ms McDonald’s devastated brother Josh Kirton told reporters: “My sister was not involved with anything to do with gangs, or the (crash on the) A66. That’s what makes this so senseless. People think they can do whatever they like. There’s some terrible people in the world and now my sister and Valentina have gone.”
Tributes have been left outside the house, with a photo of the pair left among the bouquets and toys with the words: “RIP Natalie and Valentina you will be missed.” Andy Burnham said the Government is offering “all of the support that the authorities need” after the “terribly tragic” house fire. Asked about the incidents, the Prime Minister told reporters during a visit to South Wales: “Obviously we’re offering all of the support that the authorities need. The important thing, it’s a terribly tragic event that’s happened with the loss of a young woman and her seven-year-old niece.”
Officers investigating the South Bank crash said they had not yet confirmed whether it was linked to wider organised crime. Local policing Superintendent Emily Harrison said: “The property was empty at the time and we have not currently received any reports of any injuries. Officers are conducting inquiries to establish the circumstances surrounding this incident. Our investigation is in its early stages and it has not yet been confirmed whether this incident is linked to wider organised crime.”
Elsewhere on Thursday, a man was receiving treatment after being stabbed in Eston, about two miles away from the A66 crash. In a statement, Cleveland Police said: “A 39-year-old man is receiving treatment following an assault involving a bladed weapon in an address on Sedgemoor Road in Eston around midday today (Thursday August 27). No arrests have been made at this time, however, inquiries are ongoing into the incident.”
A man living near the scene of the stabbing in Eston said the street was “full of armed police, the helicopter came, the lot”. Referring to the postcode which covers Eston and Grangetown and South Bank, among other areas, he said: “TS6 has gone mad, it’s brutal. We are just trying to keep our heads down.”
