A fundraiser established for two police officers who died in a wrong-way crash has surpassed £1m. PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough were killed in the early hours of Saturday when a Volkswagen Passat, travelling against the flow of traffic on the A66 at South Bank, near Middlesbrough, collided with their vehicle. The five young men in the Volkswagen also died.
The Cleveland Police Federation launched the fundraiser, which includes a £4,000 donation from the Cleveland branch of the National Association of Retired Police Officers. The Cleveland Police Federation stated the money will be divided equally between the families of the two officers for their use.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) previously reported that officers had been pursuing the Volkswagen Passat for seven minutes after it was linked to alleged criminal activity, but the pursuit was abandoned 10 seconds before the crash. PC Blades and PC Clough were in a vehicle searching for the Passat after its cloned registration plates activated an automated number plate recognition camera, but they were not involved in the pursuit, according to the IOPC.
Police have arrested 17 individuals, aged between 18 and 61, across Teesside as part of an ongoing investigation into the events leading up to the crash. These arrests relate to various alleged offences, including possession of a firearm and involvement in an organised crime group.
Tributes have also been made to the five young men who died in the Volkswagen Passat. A community group, Active Tees Valley, has appealed on Facebook for people not to graffiti buildings with messages, following spray-painted tributes on the East Middlesbrough Events Centre.