A senior police officer has demanded social media companies stop turning deadly police pursuits into “entertainment” and take immediate action to prevent dangerous driving footage being uploaded and shared, warning more people will die unless the trend is stopped.
Paul Williams, Acting Deputy National Chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, writing exclusively for the Express, said: “Every day, videos glorifying dangerous driving attract huge audiences. Every day, police officers are baited, filmed and turned into content for clicks. Criminality, confrontation and reckless behaviour are increasingly packaged as entertainment and rewarded with attention.”
Seven killed in A66 collision
Mr Williams made the intervention in the wake of the devastating collision on the A66 in Teesside at the weekend, in which two police officers were killed when their car was hit head-on at speed by a VW Passat containing five youths, travelling on the wrong side of the road. All five occupants of the Passat, youths with links to organised crime gangs, were also instantly killed.
Mr Williams said: “Seven people have lost their lives on the A66. Among them were two police officers who went to work to protect the public and never came home. Like every police officer in the country, I am heartbroken.”
He added: “I’m an experienced police officer. I’ve got 26 years in, and I’m struggling to comprehend the complexities and the actual horror of what’s happened. My colleagues in Cleveland will be feeling that grief far more deeply than I can.”
Social media companies urged to act
Mr Williams said the tragedy had “shone a spotlight on a growing problem that police officers have been warning about for years”. He said: “Let me be clear: this issue did not begin with the events on the A66, and nobody should speculate about any connection with an ongoing investigation. However, the tragedy has prompted a wider conversation about the content and behaviours being promoted across social media every day.”
He added: “Long before last weekend, officers were raising concerns about a culture that encourages people to chase online notoriety at any cost. Police pursuits are edited into viral clips. Encounters with officers are stripped of context. Split-second decisions are judged by millions. And who pays the price? Frontline officers, their families and the communities they serve.”
Mr Williams said: “Social media companies cannot keep pretending they are powerless. Their algorithms decide what is promoted, recommended and amplified. Dangerous driving should not be entertainment. Provoking police officers should not be a route to internet fame. If platforms can make this content go viral, they can do far more to stop it. Before another tragedy shines a spotlight on this issue, they must act.”
Gangland feud suspected
The intervention came after it emerged that the five young men who died had been chasing a rival gang as part of a suspected gangland feud. Police previously confirmed they suspect the youths may have had links to “serious and organised criminal activity”. The fatal chase may have been sparked by a rival gang, who allegedly used a Volvo XC60 to ram into the home belonging to the father of dead teen Cole Worthy, at 3am on Saturday – just 40 minutes before the devastating smash.
Detectives are now probing claims the Middlesbrough house belonging to Gye Worthy was rammed twice by the Volvo, which deliberately reversed into the front window, causing extensive damage. Within minutes, the VW Passat containing his son Cole and four young friends was racing around the streets of Middlesbrough hunting the Volvo. The fast-moving Passat was spotted and pursued by a police patrol, which culminated in the horrific crash that killed PC Tom Clough, 38, and PC Matthew Blades, 37, along with Passat occupants Worthy, Makai Saddington, 18, Jakub Matusiak, 23, Theo Rae, 17, and Michael Cahill, 23.
There is no suggestion that Cole's father, Gye Worthy, 39, is involved in any criminal activity. Cleveland Police said the fresh arrests included a 16-year-old boy as well as four men aged 18, 21, 23 and 25 – taking the total number detained up to 17. The force also confirmed both the Volvo and VW Passat formed part of their enquiries.
Mr Worthy's home was rammed at around 3am. By 3.36am, the VW Passat was caught on CCTV racing at between 80 and 100mph down Lime Road in Teesville, pursued by three police vehicles. At 3.39am, it turned the wrong way onto the A66 dual carriageway, at which point the pursuing police vehicles stopped. Just ten seconds later, it smashed head-on into the armed response vehicle carrying PCs Clough and Blades.
On Monday night, balaclava-clad youths sparked anger after setting off flares and fireworks in a noisy tribute to the five dead youths. Friends and family of Jakub Matusiak, 23, gathered at a field in South Bank, Middlesbrough, just yards from the scene of Saturday's catastrophic collision. What began as a balloon release descended into confusion of smoke and noise when attendees lit up the sky with flares and rockets before a gang of around 20 masked youths on motorbikes and quad bikes roared around the field in honour of Matusiak. The scenes sparked anger, with onlookers accusing the crowd of showing “disrespect of the highest order”.
A cousin of Matusiak demanded questions be answered by police, asking why they continued their pursuit. He said: “We all want answers - we were told the chase should have been called off earlier. If it had been called off earlier lives might have been saved.” The chaos came in stark contrast to a silent prayer vigil held at a nearby church to honour PC Clough and PC Blades. Over £800,000 has been raised for the families of the two police officers after an appeal was launched by the Cleveland Police Federation.
