100 people jailed for more than 48 years collectively since Teesside riots
It's around six months since rioters took to the streets
Last updated 1st May 2025
We are hearing how last summer's violent disorder in Teesside put into 'sharp focus' the resource pressures the police are under.
Hartlepool and Middlesbrough saw rioters take to the streets around six months ago, with nearly 200 people arrested since then.
Cleveland Police say 100 of those have been jailed for more than 48 years collectively.
Matt Storey, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland, said: "Obviously it's been a really difficult time for everybody. The appalling scenes that we saw, something that none of us really ever expected would happen in our area, but despite the fact that it was obviously really hard for everybody and frightening, I think the community's come through it and I think we're starting to rebuild and there's lots of positive things going on which I think shows the strength of our communities and the community cohesion that we've got.
"It's an on-going process and what I'm trying to do is nobody wants to be complacent. We want to make sure that we're doing everything possible to make people feel comfortable and settled in their area again. There was a lot of fear and there still is in some places so we've got to make sure that people have got all the support that they need.
"I've been going and speaking to victims, people who were affected by the violence, people who've had their properties vandalised, I've been to visit them in their homes, I've been to visit them at the community centre where we've had forums with different groups of people who were affected by the riots. It's been really important for me to hear from them about their experiences.
"The police response to the riots were absolutely magnificent and I think they got a lot of credit and their reputation was markedly improved with local people, because of the way the strong way they responded and gave to the riots. I think there are always lessons that can be learned. It brought into really sharp focus the resource pressures that we're under in Cleveland.
"We did have to rely on support from outside the area and that's really good to have that mutual aid. We sent officers to Durham, Northumbria and other places but it shows that we do need more police on the streets and it also shows that when the police do a really good job and when we promote it, it can really make people feel more confident and comfortable with the police force."