Last night (Tuesday 1 September 2026), the Home Secretary announced that Cleveland Police will receive an additional £2m to respond to tackle serious and organised crime.
Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland, Matt Storey, has responded.
He said: "Whilst Cleveland Police will use this additional £2m to deal with the immediate aftermath of these terrible incidents, it does nothing to address the chronic underfunding that has disadvantaged policing in Cleveland for years.
"A one-off payment is not a solution. It fails to tackle the deep-rooted funding inequalities that continue to disadvantage the hardworking officers, staff and communities of Cleveland.
"I call on Government to act now. 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."