THE frenzied murder of a vulnerable mum and a brutal attack on police officers by a gang of thugs were just some of the offences in the “crime capital of England” this year.
The Sun has compiled and analysed the latest data and created a series of maps pinpointing where each area ranks.
GettyPolice Officers from Cleveland force[/caption]
BackGridCleveland Police recorded the highest number of crimes per 1,000 population of any force in England and Wales[/caption]
Cleveland once again has the highest level of crimes recorded per 1,000 population making it the most dangerous place to live.
The numbers are calculated to show the level of crime proportionate to the amount of people who live there.
Cleveland Police in the north east recorded 129.3 crimes per 1,000 people, according to the latest ONS figures up to June 2024.
That compares to 105.8 recorded by the Metropolitan Police.
HandoutGlenna Siviter was murdered at her home in Middlesbrough[/caption]
A police officer was forced to retire after being attacked by a gang of thugsCleveland Police
Eight of the top 10 force areas with the worst crime rates – which includes England and Wales – are in the North of England.
The Met and West Midlands (109.4) are the only exceptions.
Cleveland – which covers areas including Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, and Stockton-on-Tees – is also top for sex crimes and second to West Yorkshire for violence, second to Merseyside for drug offences and second to the Met for thefts.
The police force area with the lowest recorded crime was Wiltshire (53.9).
A Cleveland Police spokesperson told The Sun: “Cleveland Police faces significant challenges with high levels of crime and demand for policing services resembling that experienced by much larger metropolitan forces.
“The demand on the force is further challenged due to several of our areas experiencing high levels of social deprivation creating some of the most complex policing challenges faced by any police force.
“Despite these challenges, overall crime across Teesside has reduced by almost 8 per cent in the 12 months up to 2nd December 2024, with reductions in almost all crime types.
“Burglary has dropped by 22.3% across the force, with Middlesbrough experiencing the lowest level of Burglary for five years.
“In the last year we have also seen a 12% reduction in knife crimes involving a young person.
“These numbers are encouraging and are reflective of the hard work and dedication seen by our officers.
“However, we are not complacent and will continue to strive to improve further to protect the communities we serve.
“The force has a strong long-term focus on preventing crime, running campaigns such as ‘Carrying a Blade Doesn’t Give You an Edge’ to reduce the number of young people carrying bladed weapons and getting involved in violent crime.
“We are currently running the ‘We Are Here’ campaign to keep members of the community safe whilst out celebrating over the Christmas period, with officers being highly visible to deter those intent on causing harm to our communities such as violence and sexual offences in the nighttime economy.”
“Over the past twelve months, Cleveland Police has increased its dedicated proactive resource by introducing Proactive Teams in all four districts.
“These teams focus on arresting criminals, stop and search of suspects and intercepting crime.
“These changes have led to 7642 stop searches this year across the force area with almost a quarter of these resulting to the recovery of weapons or drugs.
“This has contributed to a reduction of almost 10 per cent (9.7%) in violence across Teesside over the last year, and an almost 8 per cent (7.7%) reduction in the last six months.”
VIOLENCE
These are crimes ranging from common assault up to more serious offences like GBH and murder.
One of the most heinous crimes dealt with by police in Cleveland between June 2023 and June 2024 saw Andrew Hall murder vulnerable 50-year-old Glenda Siviter in June.
Her body was found at an address in Grimwood Avenue in Middlesbrough on December 15 last year by her son Declan.
Hall, 47, was also convicted of the attempted murder of Craig Woodler and section 18 wounding against Samuel Harker.
Hall was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum of 36 years for murder and an additional 27 years for attempted murder and five years for wounding with intent, to run concurrently.
Glenda’s son Declan said: “It’s always hard losing a loved one anyway, but to have someone taken from you in such a disgustingly violent way as Andrew Hall has took my mother, it’s a sickening whirlwind of mixed emotions with ultimately, no happy outcome, just constant grief and despair.”
Meanwhile, in October five men were collectively sentenced to over 20 years in prison for their roles in an incident in Middlesbrough which left one police officer unable to work ever again.
Two officers responded to a report of a vehicle on fire in the Cass House Road/Earls Court Road area of Hemlington around 2.40am on November 26 2023.
When they arrived, the officers were set upon by a group who threw bricks and bottles at them, and a police vehicle was damaged.
Robert Jean, 47, murdered his two housemates in a ‘brutal explosion of violence’SWNS
The Hemlington attack left the officer with serious injuriesCleveland Police
Cleveland PoliceCraig Bradley, Martin Rivers, Macauley Owen, Samuel Lane and Josh Blackston brutally assaulted a police officer[/caption]
One officer suffered facial injuries and a serious hand injury which required surgery.
He has since been told that he will not work again, due to his hand injury and suffering with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
In recent years, Cleveland and West Yorkshire have continually swapped places for the top spot for violent crime.
In the latest figures, West Yorkshire tops the category with 49.1 such crimes recorded per 1,000 population.
This compares to 47.5 in Cleveland.
On December 18, Robert Jean, 47, was handed a life sentence for the murder his two housemates during an explosion of violence at the home they shared in Leeds on September 30 last year.
Jean attacked 65-year-old Khaja Raisoddin Mohammed and 53-year-old Abdullah Mirzada, repeatedly stabbing both men in a frenzied attack at the house in Hill Top Mount, Harehills.
Officers went to the scene and found Mr Mirzada unconscious in the back street and not breathing.
They gave CPR until he was treated by paramedics, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mr Mohammed was found by officers in the cellar of the address with a serious blunt force head injury and stab wounds, including a serious wound to his neck.
He was rushed to hospital by ambulance for emergency treatment but his injuries were unsurvivable and he was pronounced dead a short time later.
SEX OFFENCES
Cleveland ranks highest for recorded sex crimes (4.4), with West Yorkshire (4.2) in second and Greater Manchester (4.0) in third.
These crimes include sexual assault, indecent exposure, child sexual abuse, revenge porn and exploitation.
Paul Slid, 34, from Hartlepool, was jailed this month after pleading guilty to more than 20 offences of sexual assault, possession of indecent images and extreme pornography.
Sild was arrested and charged by Hartlepool CID officers in June, after a number of women came forward to report incidents which had taken place on residential streets in the town in May.
Officers found that Sild had approached women who were unknown to him in the street and used a syringe to squirt them with a substance, which was found to contain traces of his DNA.
He had filmed these assaults on his mobile phone, which he carried in a hollowed-out book to conceal it.
Following his arrest, officers found evidence of further sexual assaults which had not been reported to police, along with indecent images of children and extreme pornography on his mobile phone.
West Yorkshire PolicePaedo Joseph Parkin, 26, was jailed[/caption]
Evening GazettePaul Sild, 34, squirted liquid containing his DNA at his victims[/caption]
At Teesside Crown Court on December 12, Sild received four-and-a-half years in prison, with an 18-month extended licence.
Meanwhile, convicted sex offender Joseph Parkin was jailed for eight years after admitting sexual activity with a teenager after being released from prison for similar offences.
The 26-year-old also admitted to communicating with two other teenagers, putting him in breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Joseph Parkin, aged 26, of Wakefield, previously pleaded guilty to four charges of engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a boy under 16 years-old and two charges of breaching a Sexual Harm Protection Order.
Appearing at Leeds Crown Crown court on December 12, he received an eight-year custodial sentence and was made subject of an extended licence period of six years on his release from prison.
One of the victims reported the offences against him to the police in October 2023.
Parkin was quickly identified, arrested, charged and remanded in custody.
Further enquiries established telephone contact that Parkin had had with a number of children.
DRUG OFFENCES
Drug offences include possession, supply, production and importation of banned substances – with many such crimes also involving exploitation of vulnerable people, such as children.
Merseyside is once again the offence capital with 8.2 recorded crimes per 1,000 population.
That’s almost twice as much as second place Cleveland (4.5), and more than double of the third placed Met (4.0).
During County Lines Intensification Week (25 November 25 – December 1), Merseyside Police made 132 arrests, seized more than 6,800 wraps and 4.8kg of Class A and B drugs and identified and safeguarded 153 people at risk of exploitation.
County lines is the name given to drug dealing where gangs and organised criminal networks use phone lines to move and supply drugs, usually from cities into smaller towns and rural areas.
Young people and the vulnerable are frequently targeted, exploiting them into trafficking drugs, money and weapons.
Once the child is dependent on the gang, they are coerced into criminal activities, often with threats of violence and blackmail.
Families and loved ones of the child are also threatened.
Merseyside Police made 132 arrests in one week as part of County Lines opsMerseyside Police
Merseyside PoliceGraham McEvoy, Lewis Davies, Keane Mulligan were jailed for a total of more than 24 years[/caption]
Merseyside’s dedicated county lines team, Project Medusa, is pivotal in intercepting this exploitation and bringing the exploiters to justice.
Detective Inspector Peter Sloan, said: “Merseyside Police leads nationally on the response to County Lines through Project Medusa.
“County Lines gangs have no regard for the young, vulnerable people they coerce in to running drugs across the country, often with threats of violence and intimidation.
“We will relentlessly target those crime groups who cowardly exploit vulnerable people in our communities.
“Those who exploit children will be caught, arrested and face justice for modern day slavery and human trafficking offences.”
On December 12, three men were jailed at Liverpool Crown Court for a total of more than 24 years, following an investigation into Modern Day Slavery and drug supply offences into the Newton-le-Willows area.
The charges came because of Operation Toxic – which is part of Project Medusa.
Graham McEvoy, 19, was jailed for eight years for being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs (crack cocaine and heroin) and the human trafficking of victims aged between 15 and 17.
He was also given a 10-year Slavery and Trafficking Prevention Order.
Lewis Davies, 20, was jailed for seven years and nine months for being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs (crack cocaine and heroin) and the human trafficking of a 15-year-old victim.
Keane Mulligan, 19, was jailed for eight years and six months for being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs (crack cocaine and heroin) and human trafficking of victims aged 17.
THEFTS
Theft offences can include general theft, robbery, burglary, and handling stolen goods.
The Met tops the list with 52.2 reported crimes per 1,000 population, with Cleveland (39.3) in second and West Midlands (36.4) in third.
Particular issues in the capital, include thefts of phones and bicycles, as well as a rise in luxury watches being targeted.
As reported in January, undercover police officers roamed the streets of Soho at night posing as members of the public in an effort to run into gangs who target designer timepieces and catch them red-handed.
The operation in central London ran from October to December 2022 and March to October 2023.
Intelligence showed suspects targeting victims leaving pubs and nightclubs, most of whom were intoxicated and in a vulnerable state.
The suspects offered drugs/sex workers before taking them to quiet side streets to rob them, or approach them from behind before violently attacking them for their property.
Met PoliceThis is the moment undercover cops wore luxury watches in an operation to catch ruthless gangs[/caption]
Met PoliceIntelligence showed suspects targeting victims leaving pubs and nightclubs in Soho[/caption]
Both operations resulted in 31 arrests and 27 successful charges, leading to 21 convictions, as of the turn of the year.
Meanwhile, as reported earlier this month, Niall McNamee, 30, had his phone snatched on a London Underground tube – and days later had £21,000 drained from his bank account.
The eyewatering sum even included a £7,000 loan that criminals had taken out in his name.
“It used to be people stole a phone so they could sell on a phone,” McNamee told the BBC.
“Now it seems they are stealing phones so they can get into all of your data and take money.”
Reports of theft and robberies on trains and at stations have soared 58 per cent from 2018 to 2023, according to British Transport Police (BTP) data.
December is when the highest number of thefts and are reported, according to the force, as thieves use the longer nights to hide their identity.
On the streets, over 200 phones are swiped from the hands of innocent passerbys every day, Home Office figures revealed earlier this year.
There are a number of smart settings changes consumers can make to protect their gadgets – and their hard-earned cash.
But the uptick in thefts has pushed companies like Apple and Google to introduce specific Theft Protection features.
Here’s how you can set them up.
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