Middlesbrough’s Surge in Gang Violence and the Rise of England’s “New Gang Cities”

A group of five men aged 17-23 crashed a stolen Volkswagen Passat with cloned plates into a police car on the A66, killing all five youths and two officers. The incident sparked early school closures and the deployment of 600 extra police officers amid fears of further anti-social behaviour. Local councillors describe the streets as “taken over” by thugs, noting a pattern of car-ramming, quad-bike rides, graffiti and arson that has become commonplace in recent weeks.

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Criminologist Dr Simon Harding warns that traditionally low-crime towns are now experiencing gang activity similar to larger urban centres. He cites Middlesbrough, Barnsley, Rochdale, Barrow-in-Furness, Blackpool, Ipswich, Coventry, Milton Keynes and Bristol as examples where entrenched deprivation makes them attractive to criminal networks. Harding argues that these “new gang cities” are being exploited because policing resources are thinner than in major cities.

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Cleveland Police, which covers Middlesbrough, Redcar and Stockton, reports a crime rate of 123 crimes per 1,000 residents, the highest among forces in England and Wales. Violence against the person, robbery and theft all exceed national averages. The force has lost 13 % of its officers since 2010 due to austerity cuts, leaving it with one of the smallest budgets nationally. The Home Office has allocated an additional £2 million to Cleveland, while Labour Police and Crime Commissioner Matt Storey says the force needs £26 million per year to offset the cuts.

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Labour MP Andy McDonald laments the loss of industrial apprenticeships and questions why criminality appears as the most attractive option for young men.

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Matt Storey criticises the £2 million injection as “performative” and urges a funding formula based on poverty and deprivation rather than population. He also notes that proposed police-force mergers, not expected until 2034, will not alleviate current shortfalls.

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Cleveland Police officials stress the need for continued backup, road closures and additional officers to manage the escalating violence.

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• “It wasn’t that long ago these lads would have walked into apprenticeships at British Steel or ICI,” — Andy McDonald, Labour MP for Middlesbrough

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• “How on earth is it that, for young men at such a crucial stage in their development, the most attractive option is to engage in this type of criminality?” — Andy McDonald

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• “These places that might have had quite a mild, manageable level of traditional crime – robbery, car crime that kind of thing – that’s now changing,” — Dr Simon Harding, criminologist and author

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• “They’re trying to get ‘likes’, they are trying to get respect and they are trying to get status because if they get that it will make them a ‘player’ and less vulnerable,” — Dr Simon Harding

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• “What are we going to do in the meantime?” — Andy McDonald

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