The statistics make for bleak reading. When ranked with 99 UK towns and cities, Middlesbrough is near the top of the table for many types of crime.

League table

Middlesbrough is top of the table for criminal damage and arson. It also tops the list for burglary. It’s near the top of the list for robbery, anti-social behaviour, drugs crime, violence, and ‘other’ crime.

Start them young

The town’s criminal damage rate is 289% of the national average. It starts at a young age. For example, in August, boys as young as ten years old were arrested for missile-throwing in Hemlington. There are eye witness accounts of 12-year-olds dealing drugs in Saltersgill. Beware of Kinder eggs in Middlesbrough. You could be in for a surprise, particularly if they’re found down someone’s boxer shorts. This miscreant was 18 years old. Here’s another teenager running a ‘county lines’ racket.

Child recruitment

Sky News reported on child poverty in the Newport ward of Middlesbrough on 17 November. Six out of seven children in Newport grow up in poverty. The report noted that those who work in the area of child poverty say they are engaged in a battle with child exploitation gangs who will happily step in and offer children a lucrative life of crime.

Link between poverty/deprivation and crime

Middlesbrough has the greatest proportion of “highly deprived” neighbourhoods out of all local authorities in England. According to the Family Action charity, one in five parents in Middlesbrough can’t afford a present for their child this Christmas. The link between poverty and children’s involvement in crime and violence is well established.

Trickle down theory

An increase in wages would help to address the problem. Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen has been promising highly-paid jobs since coming to office in May 2017. This hasn’t happened. Mean wages in South Teesside, at £2,705 per month, remain well below the national average of £3,271. The deficit has widened by £160 per month since Houchen was elected.

Child services

Middlesbrough Council’s budget in 2024/25 for child services was 38.6% of the total, standing at £55mn. By age 24, over half (52%) of children in care have a criminal conviction compared to 13% of their peers. One in seven have received a custodial sentence according to the ONS.

Arson

Arson attacks have included homes, but cars have been targeted too. Burglary is rife. House burglary is common, but thieves also target commercial premises. There were 547 robberies in Middlesbrough last year. Recent examples can be found here and here.

Anti-social behaviour (ASB)

3 November witnessed a show of strength from criminals who know that they can act with impunity. Car drivers staged a series of stunts including ‘drifting’ and ‘donuts’ at one of the town’s busiest road junctions. Their accomplices blocked off the approach roads and set off fireworks as part of the display. But ASB is a problem throughout Middlesbrough, both in the town centre and the suburbs.

ASB Case Review

If you are a victim of Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) and have been reporting incidents to the local council or police but nothing has come of it you have the right to something called an ‘ASB case review’, it was previously known as a ‘Community Trigger’. It entitles you to an independent review of your case and is a safeguard put in place due to the tragic death of Fiona Pilkington and her daughter Francesca Hardwick.

What’s your poison?

So, Middlesbrough’s Drugs Crime rate is more than 200% of the national average. Are cocaine and ammonia the perfect combination? These can be found on Carlbury Avenue in Acklam. Zopiclone and Gabapentin are on the menu in Berwick Hills. Over near Albert Park, the more traditional crack and heroin can be found on Angle Street.

Violent crime

There were 10,500 violent crimes recorded in the most recent statistics. The night-time economy presents problems, particularly in the town centre. Here are details of an assault in Boro Bar on Albert Road. Just down the road, a man had his jaw broken outside Flares Bar. Knife crime is a significant problem. Here’s the Teesside Gazette reporting on a frenzied knife attack outside Bar Cuda. That’s on Albert Road, too. It’s a dangerous place at night.

Domestic abuse

Organisers of the January 2025 Women’s March in Middlesbrough reported that the town has “one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the country“. Encouragingly, two months after the march, Middlesbrough was selected for pilot project to keep abusers away from victims (March 2025)

Right wing activities

In addition to the suffering caused to partners, children and relatives of the abusers, the damage is more widespread. Two in five of those arrested for the August 2024 riots had been reported for domestic abuse.

So what is being done to address the problem?

The Labour government has promised a named and contactable police officer for each community. However, due to police cuts linked to the Austerity policies of the previous government, this can be hit-and-miss. A postcode lottery means that your neighbourhood could be allocated either an experienced officer or a new recruit to deal with your concerns.

Tackling organised crime gangs

Middlesbrough’s mayor Chris Cooke has spoken about the need to wipe out the ‘scourge of organised crime gangs‘. The police have had the occasional success, obtaining the conviction of ‘wannabe gangster’ Euan Corbett. A one-man crime wave, Corbett’s antics included offering participants in Middlesbrough’s 2024 riots a £500 reward for footage of burning police cars.

Project Orme

In East Middlesbrough, Project Orme will follow the Home Office’s ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ approach which sees organised criminals and associates cleared from an area, backed up by high visibility patrols and community support.

Lack of funding

Cleveland police and crime commissioner (PCC) Matt Storey says his officers are operating “with one hand tied behind their backs” due to “an outdated” funding model. The force area, which has the highest overall crime rate in England and Wales, was at a “persistent disadvantage” as it had the budget of a small rural force but faced “metropolitan levels of crime”. 

Sticking plaster

In the wake of Middlesbrough’s 2024 riots, the council allocated £225,000 from the government’s Community Recovery Fund. This was a sticking plaster to cover a gaping wound.

Home Secretary

Matt’s efforts to tackle crime don’t appear to have impressed the Home Secretary. Shabana Mahmood has decided to scrap Police and Crime Commissioners. In Middlesbrough, this will result in Cleveland Police being overseen by the Tees Valley Mayor. Will this Lord Houchen be tough on drug lords? Time will tell.