Football supporters honour two Cleveland officers killed in A66 crash
Football fans and players paid tribute to two Cleveland Police officers who were killed in a crash on the A66 near Middlesbrough on 22 August, with a minute's applause and images shown before Middlesbrough's Championship match against West Bromwich Albion at the Riverside Stadium. Hartlepool United held a two-minute silence before their National League home game against Eastleigh on Friday evening.
PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough died in a head-on collision between their police car and a vehicle travelling the wrong way on the A66 near Middlesbrough early on 22 August. Five people in the other vehicle also died. The occupants of the other vehicle, a Passat, were named as Michael Robert Cahill, 23; Jacob Matusiak, 23; Makai Saddington, 18; Theo Rae, 17; and Cole Robert Worthy, 17.
There was a minute's applause in memory of the two officers ahead of the Middlesbrough v West Bromwich Albion match, and pictures of PC Blades and PC Clough were displayed on a screen at the Riverside Stadium.
Middlesbrough FC issued a statement prior to the match saying: "We are also showing our appreciation for the dedication and hard work of both men, and to Cleveland Police force in protecting and supporting our local community. "The commitment shown by officers and staff, often in challenging and demanding circumstances, plays a vital role in keeping residents safe and helping people feel secure in their homes, neighbourhoods and local areas."
Hartlepool United paid tribute to the officers at their Friday match, observing a two-minute silence before their home National League fixture against Eastleigh.
Speaking on Radio 4's Today programme, Middlesbrough mayor Chris Cooke said Cleveland Police was doing "extremely well" despite a lack of funding that "they absolutely need". "They are a police force that has been the hardest hit. "They've had over 10 per cent reduction in FTE (full-time equivalent) of police officers, while other places have seen over 20 per cent increase, and that isn't fair," he said. Cooke added police funding should "follow need". "It cannot just be based on population sizes as it currently is, because that serves no one well," he said.
Earlier this week 17 people were arrested in connection with the investigation into the crash, bringing the total number of arrests to 24.
