Early morning police raids target organised crime
BBCPolice have carried out a series of early morning raids targeting those suspected of being involved in organised crime.
Cleveland Police said 17 people had been arrested during the operation - involving about 130 officers including some from the National Crime Agency - across South Bank, Grangetown and Eston, near Middlesbrough, on Monday.
It is part of a high-profile response to a crash on the nearby A66 last month which came at the end of a police pursuit and left two officers dead.
Five men died also died when their Volkswagen Passat went the wrong way down the road and hit a Cleveland Police armed response vehicle heading in the opposite direction.
The force said Monday's raids saw people arrested on suspicion of "a variety" of offences including drugs and assault.
A convoy of about a dozen vans started the operation shortly after 08:00 BST, with roads temporarily blocked by patrol cars.
Officers used battering rams to force entry to several properties as parents walked past with their children on the school run.
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hall said public support after the crash had been ''absolutely phenomenal".
"It's clear criminality of any sort is not welcome on these estates and we are here to tell those people we've heard their concerns and we will act," he said.
Officers PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, along with all five occupants of the Passat died at the scene of the A66 crash.
Cleveland's Police and Crime Commissioner Matt Storey said it was important for people to see officers on the streets targeting those responsible for crime.
He said: "This makes people more reassured about what is really going in their communities. They see people arrested, charged and taken off the streets.
"It shows the public good work is happening, despite the problems we have."
