The Police Federation of England and Wales has said young people are "baiting police officers" with dangerous driving, following a collision in Middlesbrough that killed seven people, including two police officers.
Five young men killed in collision
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". Nine men and three women, aged between 18 and 61, were arrested across Teesside on Monday on suspicion of a range of offences, including possession of a firearm and being part of an organised crime group.
Cleveland Police said five further arrests had been made, including a 16-year-old boy and two men, 18 and 21, who were arrested on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group. A 55-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, and a 23-year-old man on suspicion of making threats to kill.
Officers' concerns over social media
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."
Details of the crash
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.
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. 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.
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. The chase was called off 10 seconds before the Passat collided with a marked police car.
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."
