The Police Federation of England and Wales has said young people are “baiting police officers” with dangerous driving, following a collision in which seven people, including two police officers, were killed.
Cleveland Police said five young men who died after their vehicle hit a police car on a dual carriageway may have had links to “serious and organised criminal activity”.
Arrests and investigation
Cleveland Police said 12 other people have been arrested over alleged criminality leading up to the collision in Teesside. These included four people arrested on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group and four on suspicion of possessing a firearm.
Four of the suspects are also accused of possessing Class A and B drugs with intent to supply, and one of the four has been charged with possession with intent to supply Class A and B drugs and possession of criminal property.
Police Federation response
Paul Williams, acting deputy national chairman for the Police Federation of England and Wales, told BBC Breakfast: “Every day we can identify now numerous examples of young people sensationalising dangerous driving. Not just dangerous driving, but baiting police officers who are out there to protect the public.
“It’s a real problem. It’s causing officers concern.
“They shouldn’t have to be going out and worrying about whether they’re going to return home from their shift or not. But on top of that, wondering if they’re going to be plastered all over social media.
“It’s absolutely unacceptable and social media platforms need to take some action.”
Victims and crash details
Four of the five young men in the car had previous criminal convictions, and were believed to be associated with another car which was seen ramming properties earlier that morning.
Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38, were killed when a Volkswagen Passat, which had been pursued by police, was driven the wrong way along a dual carriageway near Middlesbrough and hit their marked armed response vehicle.
The five people travelling in the Volkswagen, Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak, were pronounced dead at the scene at South Bank, early on Saturday.
Police activity before the crash
Police said nine men and three women, aged between 19 and 61, have been arrested after an investigation over the weekend into alleged criminal activity before the crash. The force said on the morning of the collision, it received several reports of two vehicles being driven dangerously.
The first vehicle, believed to be a Volvo XC60, was witnessed ramming properties in the Middlesbrough area. The second vehicle, a Volkswagen Passat, is believed to have been associated with the activities of the Volvo.
Police said both vehicles were operating with cloned number plates but were picked up by automated number plate recognition technology. The Volvo XC60 involved in the initial reports has been traced and recovered in Middlesbrough.
Police said there was no evidence that filming of the activities on Friday night and Saturday morning was “for the purposes of TikTok”.
Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Fox, responsible for the strategic leadership of the investigation, said: “This has been a fast-moving and complex investigation, with significant links to serious and organised criminal activity.”
He went on to say: “We have a duty to respond to, and thoroughly investigate, the serious criminal activity that resulted in this fatal incident, and to bring all those responsible to justice.”
Tributes and fundraising
Flowers left beside the A66 close to the crash site paid tribute to the officers who died. More than £750,000 has been raised for the families of the two police officers who were killed when a Volkswagen Passat, that had been pursued by police, hit their marked armed response vehicle seconds after the chase was terminated.
A fundraiser created by the Cleveland Police Federation said funds raised would be split equally between the two officers’ families and the federation would continue to provide support.
Cleveland Police launched the chase after receiving intelligence relating to “numerous incidents” linked to a Passat, which activated an ANPR camera and is believed to have been using cloned plates, investigating watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct said. Pc Blades and Pc Clough were not involved in the original pursuit, but had been called to the area to assist with the search for the Passat.
Family members described former Civil Nuclear Constabulary officer Pc Clough as “our hero” who was “always on public duty”. In a statement issued by Cleveland Police, Pc Blades’ wife called him “my beloved husband, my best friend, and the most devoted father to our two young boys”.
Tributes for the five young men were also shared on social media, with many of their friends saying they “can’t believe it” and were “heartbroken” and “lost for words”. Balloon releases have been announced in their memory on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at different locations, including in South Bank near where the collision occurred.
One message, dedicated to all five, said: “We all knew use and knew use had hearts of gold and most loyalist lads.”
The Passat they were travelling in was spotted and an armed response vehicle pursued for just under seven minutes before the car drove on to the A66 at South Bank against the flow of traffic. Police aborted the chase and continued to travel on the correct side of the carriageway. The Passat crashed into Pc Blades and Pc Clough’s vehicle around 10 seconds after the chase ended.
