A house fire in Middlesbrough that killed two people and a crash on the nearby A66 last weekend, which left seven people dead, are not being treated as linked by police.
Emergency services responded on Wednesday to a house fire where a seven-year-old girl and her aunt lost their lives, just days after a head-on crash killed two police officers and five young men in an incident linked with organised crime activity.
Hundreds of extra police officers have been drafted in to support officers after a series of recent incidents in the Middlesbrough and County Durham area.
Assistant chief constable Dave Sutherland, who is the head of local policing at Cleveland Police, said: “Since the tragic incident last Saturday morning in which seven people, including two of our serving police officers, PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, sadly lost their lives, officers and staff have remained working around the clock to continue to serve the public of Cleveland.
“In the same week, we have also seen a tragic house fire on Wednesday in which two people lost their lives, which is also understandably impacting the force and our local communities. At this time, we are not linking this incident to the fatal collision on the A66.
“Our thoughts remain with all those affected by these incidents as we continue our investigations into what happened.”
Valentina Foster, aged seven, and Natalie McDonald, 34, have been identified as the victims of the house fire which took place around 5am on Wednesday morning. Two arrests have been made in connection with the murder investigation, police said on Wednesday afternoon.
Meanwhile, police arrested 17 people after the A66 crash, which followed a police pursuit, as part of investigations into alleged organised crime.
There have been two reports of cars being rammed into properties and a stabbing at a housing estate in Eston which have dominated headlines, as people look to Middlesbrough with concerns over the levels of crime.
The assistant chief constable continued: “Since these two horrific events, the reality of policing in Cleveland and the levels of violence suffered in our communities, has come under the spotlight on a national level.
“Brave officers face significant challenges day in day out, but I want to reassure the public that we will remain unwavering in our efforts to tackle criminals and protect our communities. Despite these challenges, calls for service to the force are being answered effectively, we are deploying to incidents, and investigating crime as we do every day.
“It’s important to acknowledge the support and additional resource we are receiving from a number of other forces in the northern region and beyond, and also from the National Crime Agency. This support not only means we can maintain our service to the public, but also continue to conduct patrols in the areas most affected and be a visible presence should anyone wish to speak to officers with any concerns.
“Lastly, I want to thank the general public. Our officers work closely with many corners of our communities on a daily basis to tackle issues in their local neighbourhoods, and whose support these past seven days has been overwhelming and very much appreciated. It has provided officers, staff and the families of the officers with great comfort.”
Following on from the police announcement, Anna Turley, Redcar MP, affirmed that not every incident police attend was linked to the investigation into organised crime.
She said: “I think it’s really important to get across the fact that these incidents are not all linked.
“It could feel that way at the moment because of the national spotlight on us, but unfortunately, we know we’ve had a high level of crime and in this area for a long time now, these are incidents, sadly, that we see all the time.
“It shouldn’t be this way, and it’s up to us to make sure that there isn’t a business as usual which sees that high level of crime and disorder going forward.
“But Cleveland Police have been at pains to say we shouldn’t think that these are all connected, and we shouldn’t be jumping to conclusions.”
