Opinion: Still Think Hartlepool's on the Up Mr Brash..? : Thugs Mock Police as Crime Spirals Out of Control
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
Out of Control: Cleveland Police Facing Public Confidence Crisis...
22nd April 2026
Cleveland Police is fast becoming the laughing stock of Teesside, as brazen thugs now openly taunt officers and expose just how out of control crime on Teesside has become.
Yesterday’s incident in Hartlepool laid bare, in spectacular fashion, the extent as to which Cleveland Police has now lost its grip on the streets — not just locally, but across the wider Teesside area.
From so-called “low-level” offences to the most serious crimes — including murder and organised criminal activity — the police force has repeatedly shown itself to be totally incapable of tackling either the crime itself or the root causes behind it. Instead, it appears more focused on protecting its own when misconduct scandals emerge by shielding them behind anonymity orders handed down by the chair of a misconduct panel who has clear vested interest in ensuring the establishment is protected at all costs.
The situation has deteriorated to the point where public confidence in Cleveland Police is in complete freefall. Allegations of wrongdoing within the force are too often brushed aside & in some cases 'buried', leaving residents questioning whether the very organisation tasked with protecting them isn't just as bad as the villains they're trying to take off the streets
The events on Catcote Road yesterday have also dealt a significant blow to efforts to promote Hartlepool on the national stage. The reality is simple: a town cannot claim to be “on the up” while crime continues to spiral and offenders feel emboldened enough to mock the police in broad daylight.
This latest incident isn't an isolated case either — it is part of a growing pattern. Criminals are no longer operating in the shadows; they are acting with growing confidence, seemingly aware that Cleveland Police is institutionally weak and consequences of being caught very unlikely. In the coming days, we will no doubt hear familiar promises from Cleveland Police about getting tough and bringing those responsible to justice. But many locals will greet such statements with significant scepticism. Too often, incidents like this are being quietly filed away, written off as minor disorder involving so-called “pool cars” taken for joyrides.
Yet the reality is far more serious. What we're witnessing is a visible erosion of authority — a police force struggling to maintain what little control it has left, and a community increasingly being left to fend for itself.
Until that all changes, the perception will remain: that Cleveland Police is not in control of the streets — and that those who break the law know it.
