Cleveland Police Make Arrests as Part of Operation Artemis Crackdown on Organised Crime
- teessidetoday
- Mar 19
- 3 min read
Several arrests made as part of the forces crackdown on organised crime.
19th March 2025
Cleveland Police have made two arrests as part of their ongoing Operation Artemis scheme, which aims to tackle serious and organised crime across the region. One of the warrants executed earlier today took place on Byron Street, a known trouble spot in Hartlepool’s town centre area.
As a result of the operation, officers were said to have seized a quantity of Class C and suspected Class A drugs, along with various drugs paraphernalia. A man in his 30s was also arrested at the scene for recall to prison.
Specialist Operations Targeting Dangerous Offenders
In addition to tackling drugs and organised crime, Cleveland Police’s specialist team responsible for monitoring convicted offenders of serious crimes against children also made several significant arrests across Teesside in the first few months of 2025.
Some of the most notable arrests are said to include:
A 42-year-old man was apprehended for attempting to travel and for travelling to the Netherlands without notifying police, in violation of his restrictions.
A 19-year-old man was charged after failing to register his address, breaching his notification requirements. He has been bailed to appear in court.
A number of convicted sex offenders were arrested for breaching their Sexual Harm Prevention Orders (SHPOs). Breaches included failing to disclose an alias, failing to disclose possession of a mobile phone, using Snapchat, and staying at addresses where children were present.
Two men in their 70s taken into custody. One had previously been deported from Australia after a conviction for sexual offences more than a decade ago, while the other, described as “very high risk,” was arrested for deleting messages and chats from his devices.
A pension-age man, convicted in 2014 of sexual assault and child abduction, returned to prison after failing to comply with his prison licence conditions.
In a separate incident last month, its claimed a 44-year-old man was arrested at Thornaby railway station as he arrived on a train from Leeds. He was found to have purchased a smartphone, which was in direct breach of his SHPO, with the individual described as having 'a disturbing criminal history', including sexual assault convictions from 2019, exposure incidents in 2010 and 2011, and engaging in sexual communications with a child last year. He's been remanded in custody pending further legal proceedings.
A Tough Stance on Crime in Teesside as a Change in Leadership beckons.
The latest actions by Cleveland Police claim to be demonstrating a continued focus on cracking down on both organised crime and those who pose significant risks to public safety. Cleveland Police stated that targeted operation, such as 'Operation Artemis' is playing a key role in disrupting criminal networks across Teesside, whilst specialist units like MOSOVO are ensuring that dangerous individuals are closely monitored and held accountable for any breaches of their restrictions.
These arrests send a clear message that Cleveland Police will not tolerate criminal activity in the region, and they remain committed to protecting the community through proactive enforcement and rigorous offender management.
As operations continue, local residents will be hoping to see further reductions in crime and a safer environment across Hartlepool and Teesside in an area that now has some of the highest crime rates outside of the capital.
