Tees Valley Conservative Mayor Ben Houchen has described Cleveland Police as “broken” as part of a row over town centre guards. Labour police and crime commissioner Matt Storey has hit back, however, while Cleveland’s Chief Constable Victoria Fuller has defended the force and pointed to figures showing crime levels coming down in the town centre.
The onslaught from Mayor Houchen comes as plans for ‘town guards’ for Middlesbrough town centre failed to properly get off the ground. The project, announced by the mayor in early September, aims to give vetted individuals powers to tackle crime and disorder in the town centre and would be backed by £1.3m from the combined authority.
After an announcement in September (with confirmation from Middlesbrough Development Corporation (MDC) following), it had been hoped to see recruitment begin within months and the first patrols starting before the end of the year. But progress on the scheme has ground to a halt, leading to criticism from Middlesbrough Labour Mayor Chris Cooke, who said MDC had cancelled meetings.
Image: Office of the Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner.
Mayor Houchen said Cleveland Police and Mr Storey were refusing to engage any further in the development of the scheme, despite of what he described as a “tried and tested method” in operation in other parts of the country.
He said: “Cleveland Police is a broken force that has proven itself to be incapable of keeping our town centres safe”, adding: “For Cleveland Police and the PCC to turn their backs on our plans and attempt to frustrate them every step of the way, ignoring the concerns of local businesses and residents, is nothing short of unbelievable.
“If ever proof was needed to scrap PCCs and overhaul Cleveland Police, this is it. It’s long overdue, and I’ll back the government every step of the way to make sure it gets done.”
Responding, Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller said: “We will continue to work closely with partners to look at potential additional resources and the best, most viable options to deploy these. We have already met and are actively engaged in these conversations at both a strategic and tactical level.
“Cleveland Police are not a broken force. Far from it. We are improving year on year and are making significant progress, reducing crime, meaning fewer victims, whilst developing a modern, community-focused force to be proud of. We are unrelenting in our efforts.” Ms Fuller pointed to the force’s most recent inspection, which graded Cleveland Police as being one of the “most improved” in England and Wales.
PCC Matt Storey said: “The Tees Valley Mayor may recall that I was the one that introduced him to community safety accreditation schemes as a possible solution to reduce crime in another local town centre, over a year ago.
“Therefore I am not opposed to such a scheme in principle. That’s why it was so disappointing when the Mayor announced it on social media without any prior consultation with me.” Mr Storey went on to say that town guards might not be the only way to spend £1.3m, adding that it is “not true” to suggest he is unwilling to have discussions about the plans.
Tony Parkinson, chair of MDC said that the MDC Board remained “committed” to investing over £1m of government money to “improve public perception of safety in and around the town centre”. While he said it was “disappointing” to not have yet finalised arrangements, he is hopeful to secure agreement with Cleveland Police “in the new year”.
