There is real concern about crime - particularly in rural East Cleveland. I am working with our new Chief Constable to ensure more police are freed up to be where they want to be: on the front line.
I’ve welcomed the announcement by Boris Johnson that he will end the policy of automatic early release for criminals and build 10,000 more prison places. The first new prison in the £2.5bn programme will be HMP Full Sutton in Yorkshire.
We're starting a national campaign to deliver more frontline officers to make our streets safer. I'm absolutely delighted that over the next three years, we will recruit 20,000 more police.
I warmly welcome today’s pledge from Boris Johnson that he will boost police officer numbers by 20,000 if he is elected as party leader and Prime Minister this month.
I really welcome the way that local people used May’s local elections to vote for positive change. I will be meeting new Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston soon, and sat down last week with the new Leader of Redcar and Cleveland, Councillor Mary Lanigan.
Some good news for the fight against crime in East Cleveland. Paul Jefferson has caused misery for so many people, and a robust sentence will be welcomed by lots of families and businesses.
It’s hugely concerning that the National Black Police Association has named Cleveland Police as “institutionally racist” in evidence to Parliament this week as reported in the Northern Echo.
At a tough time for Cleveland Police, it was good to be able to thank Sergeant Whitlock and his team for the hard work they put in on our behalf at my surgery at Tesco Coulby Newham on Friday.
Today’s breaking news that Chief Constable Veale’s has resigned from Cleveland Police is extraordinary and unacceptable. I have been the MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland for 18 months and we’re about to move on to my third Chief Constable in that time.
Yesterday I met Chief Constable Mike Veale and Police and Crime Commissioner Barry Coppinger. I asked them a series of questions about progress with the Chief's plan to reform the force to ensure maximum numbers of officers are out fighting crime.
