Six Cleveland Police Officers Have Been Investigated for Race-Related Hate Crimes since 2019....
- teessidetoday
- Dec 2, 2024
- 3 min read
Six police officers working for 'troubled' Cleveland Police, have reportedly been investigated for race related hate crimes in the last five years.....However the force of no public confidence was keen to stress all of those investigations led to "no further action" being taken.
2nd December 2024
Cleveland Police has been quick to play down claims of systemic racism within its ranks, following revelations obtained through a Freedom of Information Request.
It comes as its been uncovered that six Cleveland Police officers have been formally investigated for race-related hate crimes since 2019, sparking debate not just over the investigations themselves, but the fact that all six officers were subsequently informed they had no case to answer.
The Investigations: Serious Allegations, No Accountability
The allegations involved racially aggravated offences—a category of crime taken seriously in most professional contexts due to its corrosive impact on trust, equality, and community relations. Yet despite there being formal investigations into the officers at the centre of those allegations, every single case was reportedly 'closed with no further action'.
Critics claim that whilst it's entirely possible that the evidence did not support the allegations made against the officers in question, the apparent 'uniform outcome' in all six cases raises important questions about the robustness and transparency of Cleveland Police’s internal investigation processes.
What Happened in These Cases?
The public's been seemingly left guessing, following whats been claimed to have been Cleveland Police's apparent 'refusal' to disclose any information about the specific allegations or the circumstances surrounding the investigations. Without this transparency, it is impossible to know:
What behaviour or incidents prompted these serious accusations?
Were these allegations made by colleagues, members of the public, or through external complaints?
How thorough and impartial were the investigations?
By withholding details, its claimed Cleveland Police has effectively 'shielded' these cases from scrutiny, leaving communities to wonder if the outcomes reflect justice served—or justice avoided.
A Worrying Pattern of Exoneration?
Clearing six officers of race-related hate crime allegations in as many years may seem statistically unremarkable on the surface. However, the blanket “no case to answer” result raises eyebrows, particularly in a force with historical struggles around repeated misconduct and public distrust. Were these investigations truly rigorous, or were they exercises in protecting a fundamentally damaged institution at the expense of accountability?
Impact on Community Trust
Incidents involving allegations of racial bias among police officers are more than just internal matters—they directly impact public confidence. Communities already sceptical of police following the Summer 2024 riots are unlikely to feel reassured by an investigative process that appears to end, without exception, in exoneration.
Its also been claimed that by Cleveland Police effectively refusing to disclose even the most basic details about these cases, Cleveland Police risks reinforcing perceptions of or operating a "two tiered system of policing", with the clear perception being that the force is operating with bias and impunity.
The fact that six police officers were investigated for such serious allegations should have in itself prompted an open dialogue about Cleveland Police's policies and commitment to tackling racial bias within its ranks. Instead, the public has been met with silence.
By clearing all six officers without disclosing the reasoning or evidence behind these decisions, Cleveland Police may have avoided immediate controversy, but at what cost?
Without transparency, there's a growing risk that the public will view these outcomes as part of a wider culture of protectionism within Cleveland Police's ranks rather than accountability as the force is being increasingly accused of regularly covering up incidents such as these to avoid the apparent 'negative press' the incidents could cause the already troubled force. .
