- Published
A police force that has made a spate of arrests in the wake of a car crash which killed two of its officers is being given an extra £2m in funding, the home secretary has announced.
Shabana Mahmood pledged the cash in light of the challenges faced by Cleveland Police after the seven deaths in the crash which followed a pursuit on the A66 at South Bank, near Middlesbrough, on 22 August.
However, local politicians have criticised the funding of the force and called for a long-term rise in resources.
The force has arrested 27 people for activities it has linked to "serious and organised crime" since the deaths of PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough and the five men who crashed into them.
About 200 police officers from outside Cleveland Police have been drafted in to help the force following the crash, as officers police dealt with a series of incidents including homes being rammed and vehicles set on fire at a vigil.
Mahmood said: "In light of the situation the force has faced, we will allocate an additional £2m to Cleveland Police to tackle serious crime in the area.
"We will do our best to support the Middlesbrough community, which is hurting and grieving right now, and we hear the call from the members of this house representing it for a discussion about investment in policing and police numbers."
'Insulting and performative'
Conservative MP Chris Philp told Mahmood the extra £2m pledged was "wholly inadequate" and said he was concerned about a shortfall in funding for the force in general.
He said: "This lawless gang chaos should never have been allowed to take root in the first place."
Commenting following the announcement, Cleveland's Labour Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Matt Storey said a "one-off payment" was "not a solution" and called the move "insulting" and "performative".
He said: "It does nothing to address the chronic underfunding that has disadvantaged policing in Cleveland for years."
He called on the government to act to address "deep-rooted funding inequalities".
"Cleveland Police needs at least an additional £20m every year to recruit and retain 200 more police officers, to strengthen efforts to crack down on serious and organised crime."
He said the funding formula, which is used to determine what each force is given, failed to take into consideration the high levels of poverty and deprivation in the Cleveland force area.
He wants the government to change that "right now", instead of waiting for the outcome of a policing reform inquiry in 2034.
Storey said: "That's too long, we can't wait eight years - it should happen now."
Speaking in the Commons, Mahmood said she was committed to reviewing the funding formula and blamed the previous government for cutting the officer numbers nationally.
Labour MP for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East, Andy McDonald, told Mahmood that Cleveland Police had the highest rate of crime for any police force in England and Wales.
He said the latest figures showed about 123 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents, yet the force had received the "largest percentage reduction" in officers since 2010.
"Police numbers are not the only factor, but a force facing the highest demand in the country needs the resources to respond," he said.
He added the £2m would address some of the extra funding needed but he wanted to discuss how funding shortfalls could "urgently and permanently be corrected".
Mahmood said she would be happy to meet with MPs in the area to discuss the issue and wider funding concerns.
Luke Myer, Labour MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, also called for the government to review how funding was assigned.
Mahmood said she would update MPs once an independent review on police force structures had been completed.
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