Cleveland Police

History

The force was established as Cleveland Constabulary on 1 April 1974, covering the newly created county of Cleveland (which was abolished on 1 April 1996, being replaced with the four unitary authorities). It was renamed Cleveland Police, from Cleveland Constabulary.

It is a successor to the Teesside Constabulary, and also part of the York and North East Yorkshire Police and part of Durham Constabulary. The police area is the second smallest geographically, after the area covered by the City of London Police.

Under proposals made by the Home Secretary on 6 February 2006, a proposal for a merger with Northumbria Police and Durham Constabulary to form a single strategic police force for the North East England was suggested. Cleveland Police proposed instead merging with the southern area of Durham Constabulary. In July 2006, the plans to merge the three forces were abandoned.

New force headquarters

On 31 January 2007, the new headquarters in Middlesbrough were opened, boasting a 50-cell custody unit including a purpose-built prevention of terrorism suite, one of only three in the country. It has been designed to increase the speed and safety of detainee handling with secure vehicle docking, video links to court and CCTV links in all cells for improved prisoner safety.

The Middlesbrough headquarters is the centrepiece of Cleveland Police Authority's multi-million pound private finance initiative project which has also seen a new headquarters for Redcar and Cleveland district and new town offices in Redcar and South Bank. The building, which was officially opened by the then Home Secretary John Reid, is seen as not only the spearhead to policing Cleveland in the 21st century but also the gateway to the regeneration of the St Hilda's area of the town and the flagship Middlehaven project.

On 5 January 2009, the force launched its cadets programme, something which many other police forces have operated for some years. There are 20 places available in each district, and the cadets will meet each week in groups run by police officers, police community support officers, youth workers and volunteers. There will also be the chance to gain recognised qualifications, such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Placement into special measures

In September 2019, Cleveland Police was put into special measures after Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) rated the service as inadequate overall and in three key areas: the extent to which the force is effective at reducing crime and keeping people safe; operates efficiently and sustainably; and treats the public and its workforce legitimately were all found inadequate.

The report by HMICFRS stated that Cleveland Police were "putting the public at risk," with staff describing the force as "directionless, rudderless and clueless". The report criticised high-ranking officers and staff for "not taking responsibility" of the force, with some "not acting with honesty, integrity and competence". Vulnerable people including children were not identified and left at risk. Despite large numbers of domestic abuse victims being repeat victims offenders were not always proactively pursued. There were delays before police tried to locate youngsters reported missing. Some victims of honour-based violence and survivors allegedly had had a "terrible experience". Crime rose 17.6% in the year to 2019 but according to the watchdog, "crime prevention isn't a priority for the force and this is a cause of concern". The quality of investigations needs improvement, the watchdog maintains.

A year after the publication of the report, Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Barry Coppinger of the Labour Party resigned. Coppinger cited stress and the workload impacting on his health for his resignation. His resignation was immediate in September 2020 and an interim PCC took over until an election for the post in May 2021, in which Steve Turner of the Conservative Party was elected.

Chief constables

• 19741976: Ralph Davison
• 19761990: Christopher Payne
• 19901993: Keith Hellawell
• 19932003: Barry D. Shaw
• 20032012: Sean Price, (dismissed for gross misconduct)
• 20132016: Jacqui Cheer
• 20162018: Iain Spittal
• 20182019: Mike Veale
• 2019: Lee Freeman (Interim chief constable following Mike Veale's sudden departure)
• 20192021: Richard Lewis
• 20212022: Helen McMillan (Acting chief constable after Richard Lewis' departure)
• 2023present: Mark Webster

Police and crime commissioners

• 20122020: Barry Coppinger, (Labour).
• 20202021: Lisa Oldroyd (interim following resignation of Coppinger).
• 20212024: Steve Turner, Conservative.
• 2024present: Matt Storey, (Labour).

Officers killed in the line of duty

The Police Roll of Honour Trust and Police Memorial Trust list and commemorate all British police officers killed in the line of duty. Since its establishment in 1984, the Police Memorial Trust has erected 50 memorials nationally to some of those officers.

Since 1893 the following officers of Cleveland Police were killed while attempting to prevent or stop a crime in progress:

• Police Constable William Henderson, 1893 (shot attempting to disarm a man).

Force structure

As of September 2017, the force had 1,274 police officers, 278 police staff, 124 police community support officers and 64 special constables.

Cleveland Police area is divided into four local policing areas (LPAs), previously known as districts, which are coterminous with the four unitary authorities of Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees. These LPAs are split between North and South of the River Tees for operational purposes.

In response to a Freedom of Information Act request in July 2018, Cleveland Police published (in October 2018) the organisational structure of its 'Basic Command Units / Local Policing Units / District Policing Teams or equivalent'. The chart shows the number of police officers of each rank assigned to each unit.

Matrix team

In January 2024, Cleveland Police launched the Matrix team, modelled on a concept first employed by Merseyside Police and consisting of mergers and 'one team' partnerships between the force's units, including the Operational Support Unit, which was renamed to 'Tactical Disruption Team', Firearms, the Dog Section and Roads Policing. Vehicles in this unit were given Matrix logos, with vans belonging to the Tactical Disruption Team also painted a high-visibility yellow; rebranding the vehicle fleet included in the Matrix team cost £20,000 from within Cleveland's fleet budget.

PEEL assessments

His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMICFRS) conducts a periodic police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy (PEEL) inspection of each police service's performance. In its latest PEEL inspection, Cleveland was rated as follows:

Alleged or actual offences involving serving officers

In 2007, it was reported that Detective Constable Steve Pennington, who was convicted of a drink driving offence in 2000 and jailed for four months, had been granted a £500,000 pay-off by the force garnering much criticism from members of the public and anti drink driving campaigners.

In April 2012, Cleveland Police admitted liability for "malicious prosecution" and were ordered to pay out over £841,000, one of the largest compensation sums in UK police history. The court was told former PC Sultan Alam was "stitched up" by fellow officers after he launched industrial tribunal proceedings in 1993, complaining of racial discrimination following a series of incidents that included a Ku Klux Klan poster being left on his desk. Cleveland Police admitted that officers suppressed evidence that led to Alam being wrongfully imprisoned for conspiracy to steal motor parts and enduring a 17-year battle to clear his name. Alam, who was, as of 2012, considering a position in public office, did not believe that the force had improved and stated that racism had gone "underground", with ethnic minorities being denied the same opportunities as their white colleagues.

In October 2012 the force's chief constable, Sean Price, was sacked after being found guilty of deceit and misconduct. He was dismissed from his £190,000 a year job (one of the highest rates in the country for a chief constable), having been suspended in August 2011 on full pay.

In May 2013, Cleveland Police agreed to pay a settlement of £550,000 to James Watson, a Middlesbrough solicitor who sued them for false imprisonment after being detained for almost 30 hours.

In January 2019, Chief Constable Mike Veale resigned after being referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) on a matter of "serious allegations" of misconduct.

Shared services

Cleveland Police shares a number of specialist policing services with other police forces.

Specialist Operations Unit

In 2010, Cleveland Police and the neighbouring Durham Constabulary merged firearms and roads policing teams, forming the Cleveland and Durham Specialist Operations Unit with bases in Spennymoor and Wynyard. Police vehicles used as part of this partnership feature both the crests of Cleveland Police and the Durham Constabulary.This partnership has since ended and both forces now display their own force badges on RPU vehicles.

Dogs

Cleveland Police and the Durham Constabulary also merged their dog sections, followed by North Yorkshire Police joining the two forces. The merged dog section launched in August 2016 as part of an initiative for cross-border collaboration between the three forces. The collaboration ended in December 2019 and the three forces returned to having their own independent dog sections.

Force helicopter

Cleveland was previously a member of the North East Air Support Unit helicopter sharing agreement with neighbouring Durham Constabulary and Northumbria Police in which all three forces shared two helicopters, one based at Newcastle Airport and the other at Teesside Airport.

In 2008, Durham and Northumbria decided that just one helicopter based at Newcastle Airport would be enough. Cleveland disagreed saying that this resource would be based many miles away from Cleveland and would leave it at a disadvantage, and would not agree to the proposal. As a result, Durham and Northumbria decided to leave the consortium of the three forces and forge a new agreement without Cleveland, leaving Cleveland to fund its own helicopter from 2009, when the former North East Air Support Unit agreement officially ended, and the Cleveland Air Operations Unit was formed.

Since 2012, air support to the force has been provided by the National Police Air Service (NPAS).

References

References

1. (September 2019). "Structure". Cleveland.police.uk.
2. (4 February 2013). "Police grant report 2013 to 2014". homeoffice.gov.uk.
3. "Cleveland Police Key Facts". HMICFRS.
4. "Police Act 1996 – Schedule 1".
5. (26 September 2019). "'Clueless' Cleveland Police 'putting public at risk'".
6. Teesside Constabulary existed 1 April 1968 to 1 April 1974. The British Police: Forces and Chief Officers 1829-2012 by Martin Stallion and David S Wall (2nd Edn) (2011) (published by the Police History Society)
7. (6 February 2006). "Police mergers outlined by Clarke". BBC News.
8. Cleveland Police. "New Middlesbrough District Headquarters Up And Running". cleveland.police.uk.
9. (30 August 2019). "Cleveland Police force 'in special measures'". BBC News.
10. (27 September 2019). "Cleveland police branded 'failing' in all areas by inspectors". BBC News.
11. "Cleveland 2018/19".
12. [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/cleveland-police-failing-crime-vigilantes-hartlepool-cuts-a9122011.html Britain's first failing police force may not be the last] ''[[The Independent]]''
13. "HMICFRS – Cleveland Police 2018/19 report".
14. [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-49851019 Cleveland Police: Five key failings at crisis-hit force] ''BBC News''
15. (8 September 2020). "Cleveland PCC Barry Coppinger resigns with immediate effect". BBC News.
16. "History of Cleveland Police".
17. "Chief Police Officers". House of Commons.
18. (5 October 2012). "Police chief sacked after inquiry". BBC News.
19. (11 June 2015). "Cleveland Police chief Jacqui Cheer to step down". BBC News.
20. "Ethics in Policing: Iain Spittal, Chief Constable, Cleveland Police". Durham University Business School.
21. (21 January 2019). "Mike Veale resigns from position as Cleveland Police Chief Constable". The Northern Echo.
22. McNeal, Ian. (22 July 2021). "Cleveland Police chief constable quits after just two years in charge". Teesside Live.
23. Conner-Hill, Rachel. (13 December 2021). "Cleveland Police: Helen McMillan appointed as acting chief constable". The Northern Echo.
24. (10 February 2022). "Mark Webster confirmed as Chief Constable of Cleveland Police". Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland.
25. Police Roll of Honour Trust. "Police Roll of Honour Trust". policememorial.org.uk.
26. "Police Roll of Honour Trust – Cleveland Police". Policememorial.org.uk.
27. "Police workforce, England and Wales: 30 September 2017". GOV.UK.
28. (12 October 2018). "FOI Request – Organisational Structure".
29. (22 January 2024). "Crime-busting 'Matrix' team launched by Cleveland Police to tackle serious and organised crooks". Teesside Live.
30. (10 January 2025). "New police crest to be rolled out 'gradually'". BBC News.
31. (21 February 2024). "Cost of police rebrand 'best money ever spent'". BBC News.
32. (17 March 2023). "PEEL 2021/22 Police effectiveness, efficiency and legitimacy: An inspection of Cleveland Police". [[His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services]].
33. Stokes, Paul. (1 December 2000). "Detective is jailed for drink-driving". The Telegraph.
34. Carter, Helen. (16 April 2012). "Former police officer wins £840,000 compensation after 'stitch-up'". The Guardian.
35. Carter, Helen. (18 April 2012). "Cleveland police force 'institutionally racist' in way it treats staff, says report". The Guardian.
36. Peter Walker and Vikram Dodd. (5 October 2012). "Cleveland police chief sacked for 'shameful' misconduct". The Guardian.
37. Peachey, Paul. (4 January 2016). "Police 'used terror powers to spy on officers blowing whistle on racism'". [[The Independent]].
38. Urquhart, Conal. (11 May 2013). "Solicitor wins £550,000 for false imprisonment". The Guardian.
39. (15 April 2011). "County Durham and Cleveland specialist units joining forces". Teesside Gazette.
40. (22 January 2015). "Cleveland Police in further merger with Durham as dog units form collaboration". Teesside Gazette.
41. (29 October 2015). "Cleveland Police in further merger as dog unit forms collaboration with North Yorkshire". Teesside Gazette.
42. (1 August 2016). "Merged dog sections boost canine crimefighting power". The Northern Echo.
43. (24 December 2019). "Police dog units merged three years ago are to split again". The Northern Echo.
44. (24 May 2008). "Date is set for police helicopter".