Cleveland Police must introduce a double-crewing policy if it is to drive down knife crime and keep officers safe

16 November 2021

Cleveland Police must introduce a double-crewing policy if it is to drive down knife crime and keep officers safe, the force’s Federation has said. 

Paul Crowley, Cleveland Police Federation Vice Chair, was speaking after it emerged that the region was the second worst place in the UK for knife crime.

There were 122 crimes involving a sharp object reported in the area per 100,000 of the population in the year ending March 2021. Only West Midlands Police recorded more at 156. One in five stop and searches in Cleveland result in a blade being found, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics. 

Cleveland experienced more crimes involving bladed weapons proportionate to the population than Greater Manchester Police and the Met. 

Paul said that double crewing means officers can be quicker and more productive, therefore driving down knife crime. 

He said: “Cleveland continues to single crew response officers, potentially putting them into life-threatening positions on their own. This has been the case since I transferred from the Met six years ago, and it needs to change. 

“Double-crewing officers is safer and more productive and delivers more successful outcomes. When officers work together, not only can we use contact and cover, so the other officer is keeping an eye on the suspect, but you can also get more paperwork done, so you can get to more incidents, resolve more jobs and get more successful outcomes. 

“We are in the process of recruiting for a new Chief Constable, so we would call for that new chief to implement the policy of double-crewing.” 

Officers work in pairs during night shifts, but knife crime takes place 24-hours a day, Paul added. 

He said: “Cleveland Police acknowledges that there is an issue with knife crime but the force isn’t  doing more to support officers. 

“Not only is double-crewing a better deterrent, it would also reduce the amount of assaults on officers.”