Cleveland Police
Encyclopedia
Cleveland Police is the territorial police force
responsible for policing the area of former county of Cleveland
in north east England
. The Cleveland Police area covers approximately 230 square miles (595.7 km²) and has a population of over 554,000.
As of 30 January 2009, the force employed 1,692 police officers, 701 police staff and 170 police community support officers (PCSOs) and there were 195 special constable
s.
Cleveland Police area is divided into four policing basic command units (BCUs), known locally as districts, which are coterminous with the four unitary authorities of Hartlepool
, Redcar and Cleveland
, Middlesbrough
and Stockton-on-Tees
. The force is responsible for policing a predominantly urban, densely populated area, closely resembling metropolitan authorities in socio-economic characteristics and policing needs.
The Cleveland Criminal Justice Area is a major production centre for the chemical industry, which results in the large-scale transport by road, rail and sea of hazardous substances. The chemical industry remains a key economic factor and presents the force, other emergency services and partners with a significant major incident risk.
The Police Authority
is made up of seventeen members, nine from the four councils, three lay justices and five independent members.
It is a successor to the Teesside Constabulary, and also the York and North East Yorkshire Police
, which existed before 1974, and also took over 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 but there was no support for this.
Cleveland Police favours merging with the southern area of Durham Constabulary.
As of July 2006, the plans to merge Cleveland, Durham and Northumbria together were scrapped.
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.
In 2008 Cleveland Police launched its volunteer scheme, by which members of the local community can offer a minimum of 4 hours a week helping the force. As the scheme progresses more roles are expected to become available.
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.
Since 2010 Cleveland Police and neighbouring Durham Constabulary
have shared road policing
and firearms
teams through a joint Specialist Operations Unit. These officers are based at Cleveland's base at Wynyard Park Business Park and Durham's station in Spennymoor
. Durham and Cleveland Police have shared a Tactical Training Centre in Urlay Nook
, near Durham Tees Valley Airport
, since 2001.
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 Durham Tees Valley 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, leaving Cleveland to fund its own helicopter costing £500,000.
On 1 April 2009, the former North East Air Support Unit agreement officially ended, and the Cleveland Air Operations Unit
was formed.
Cleveland Police have released a website of what the helicopter has been attending to.
Territorial police force
The phrase Territorial Police Force varies in precise meaning according to the country to which it is related, generally distinguishing a force whose area of responsibility is defined by sub-national boundaries from others which deal with the entire country or a restricted range of...
responsible for policing the area of former county of Cleveland
Cleveland, England
Cleveland is an area in the north east of England. Its name means literally "cliff-land", referring to its hilly southern areas, which rise to nearly...
in north east England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The Cleveland Police area covers approximately 230 square miles (595.7 km²) and has a population of over 554,000.
As of 30 January 2009, the force employed 1,692 police officers, 701 police staff and 170 police community support officers (PCSOs) and there were 195 special constable
Special constable
A Special Constable is a law enforcement officer who is not a regular member of a police force. Some like the Royal Canadian Mounted Police carry the same law enforcement powers as regular members, but are employed in specific roles, such as explosive disposal technicians, court security, campus...
s.
Cleveland Police area is divided into four policing basic command units (BCUs), known locally as districts, which are coterminous with the four unitary authorities of Hartlepool
Hartlepool (borough)
Hartlepool is a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of County Durham, north east England. In 2003 it had a resident population of 90,161. It borders the non-metropolitan county of County Durham to the north, Stockton-on-Tees to the south and Redcar and Cleveland to the south-east along the...
, Redcar and Cleveland
Redcar and Cleveland
The borough of Redcar & Cleveland is a unitary authority in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England consisting of Redcar, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Guisborough, and small towns such as Brotton, Eston, Skelton and Loftus. It had a resident population of 139,132 in 2001, and is part of the Tees...
, Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough (borough)
-External links:*...
and Stockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees (borough)
Stockton-on-Tees is a unitary authority area and borough in the Tees Valley area of north east England, with a population in 2001 of 178,408, rising to 185,880 in 2005 estimates....
. The force is responsible for policing a predominantly urban, densely populated area, closely resembling metropolitan authorities in socio-economic characteristics and policing needs.
The Cleveland Criminal Justice Area is a major production centre for the chemical industry, which results in the large-scale transport by road, rail and sea of hazardous substances. The chemical industry remains a key economic factor and presents the force, other emergency services and partners with a significant major incident risk.
The Police Authority
Police authority
A police authority in the United Kingdom, is a body charged with securing efficient and effective policing of a police area served by a territorial police force or the area and/or activity policed by a special police force...
is made up of seventeen members, nine from the four councils, three lay justices and five independent members.
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 the York and North East Yorkshire Police
York and North East Yorkshire Police
The York and North East Yorkshire Police was a police force in England from 1968 to 1974, covering the North Riding of Yorkshire, the East Riding of Yorkshire and the county borough of York. It was a merger of the two riding forces with the York City Police...
, which existed before 1974, and also took over part of Durham Constabulary
Durham Constabulary
Durham Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the non-metropolitan county of County Durham and the unitary authority of Darlington. The force covers the 2,232 km² of the county which has a resident population of 595,308. It is one of the smaller forces of the...
. The police area is the second smallest geographically, after the area covered by the City of London Police
City of London Police
The City of London Police is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the City of London, England, including the Middle and Inner Temple. The service responsible for law enforcement within the rest of Greater London is the Metropolitan Police Service, a separate...
.
Under proposals made by the Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
on 6 February 2006, a proposal for a merger with Northumbria Police
Northumbria Police
Northumbria Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the areas of Northumberland and Tyne and Wear in North East England. The service is the sixth largest police force in England and Wales. The current Chief Constable is Sue Sim who was appointed by Northumbria Police...
and Durham Constabulary
Durham Constabulary
Durham Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the non-metropolitan county of County Durham and the unitary authority of Darlington. The force covers the 2,232 km² of the county which has a resident population of 595,308. It is one of the smaller forces of the...
to form a single strategic police force for the North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
was suggested but there was no support for this.
Cleveland Police favours merging with the southern area of Durham Constabulary.
As of July 2006, the plans to merge Cleveland, Durham and Northumbria together were scrapped.
Developments
On 31 January 2007, the new headquartersHeadquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
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
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
John Reid
John Reid (politician)
John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan, PC is a British politician, who served as a Labour Party Member of Parliament and cabinet minister under Tony Blair, most notably as Defence Secretary and then Home Secretary...
, 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.
In 2008 Cleveland Police launched its volunteer scheme, by which members of the local community can offer a minimum of 4 hours a week helping the force. As the scheme progresses more roles are expected to become available.
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.
Since 2010 Cleveland Police and neighbouring Durham Constabulary
Durham Constabulary
Durham Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the non-metropolitan county of County Durham and the unitary authority of Darlington. The force covers the 2,232 km² of the county which has a resident population of 595,308. It is one of the smaller forces of the...
have shared road policing
Road Policing Unit
The Road Policing Unit is the term for the Highway patrol within the majority of British police forces.-Responsibilities:RPUs work with the National Roads Policing Strategy, which has five strands:* Casualty reduction.* Counter-terrorism....
and firearms
Firearms unit
A firearms unit is a specialised, armed unit within each territorial police force in the United Kingdom. For the most part, the police forces of the United Kingdom are unarmed; however, all have firearms units to provide the police force with the capability to deal with armed criminals...
teams through a joint Specialist Operations Unit. These officers are based at Cleveland's base at Wynyard Park Business Park and Durham's station in Spennymoor
Spennymoor
Spennymoor is a town in County Durham, England. It stands above the Wear Valley approximately seven miles south of Durham. The town was founded over 160 years ago...
. Durham and Cleveland Police have shared a Tactical Training Centre in Urlay Nook
Urlay Nook
Urlay Nook is a village within the borough of Stockton-on-Tees and the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It is situated a short distance to the west of Eaglescliffe. The village is dominated by the site of the former Elementis chromium chemicals plant and the Admiralty Ecology Site,...
, near Durham Tees Valley Airport
Durham Tees Valley Airport
Durham Tees Valley Airport is an international airport in north east England, located southeast of Darlington, about southwest of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. The airport serves County Durham and parts of North Yorkshire, and is in Middleton St George in the borough of Darlington...
, since 2001.
Force helicopter
Cleveland was a member of the North East Air Support UnitNorth East Air Support Unit
The North East Air Support Unit is the main aerial support for police forces in north east England.- History :The North East Air Support Unit was formed in 1995 by joint venture of Cleveland, Durham and Northumbria police forces...
helicopter sharing agreement with neighbouring Durham Constabulary
Durham Constabulary
Durham Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the non-metropolitan county of County Durham and the unitary authority of Darlington. The force covers the 2,232 km² of the county which has a resident population of 595,308. It is one of the smaller forces of the...
and Northumbria Police
Northumbria Police
Northumbria Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the areas of Northumberland and Tyne and Wear in North East England. The service is the sixth largest police force in England and Wales. The current Chief Constable is Sue Sim who was appointed by Northumbria Police...
in which all three forces shared two helicopters, one based at Newcastle Airport
Newcastle Airport
Newcastle International Airport is located in Woolsington in the City of Newcastle upon Tyne, England, north-west of the city centre. In 2010 it was the 11th busiest airport in the United Kingdom....
and the other at Durham Tees Valley Airport
Durham Tees Valley Airport
Durham Tees Valley Airport is an international airport in north east England, located southeast of Darlington, about southwest of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. The airport serves County Durham and parts of North Yorkshire, and is in Middleton St George in the borough of Darlington...
.
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, leaving Cleveland to fund its own helicopter costing £500,000.
On 1 April 2009, the former North East Air Support Unit agreement officially ended, and the Cleveland Air Operations Unit
Cleveland Air Operations Unit
The Cleveland Air Operations Unit is the air support unit for the Cleveland Police force.- History :The Cleveland Air Operations Unit was formed on 1st April 2009....
was formed.
Cleveland Police have released a website of what the helicopter has been attending to.