A minister has called for criminals to be taken off the streets of Middlesbrough following a series of incidents that have left nine people dead. More than 200 extra police officers have been drafted in to support Cleveland Police in keeping local residents safe.
Fatal incidents under investigation
Investigations are continuing after a woman and a seven-year-old girl died in a house fire in Grangetown, near Middlesbrough, on Wednesday. The blaze occurred just 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. A man, aged 39, was stabbed at midday on Thursday in Eston, about two miles away from the A66 crash.
Government response
“The activities we are seeing are absolutely horrendous,” said Kate Dearden, Minister for the Future of Work, who was on the media round for the Government. “I can't even imagine how that feels for local communities.”
Ms Dearden added: “I want the police to get on with their investigation, as I've said, and provide that support to them. The police obviously have stepped up that resource. That's the right thing to do. They're working to get the criminals off the streets.”
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.
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. 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.
Family tributes
Ms McDonald’s devastated brother Josh Kirton said: “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. Officers investigating the South Bank crash said they had not yet confirmed whether it was linked to wider organised crime.
