Geographically Cleveland Police is one of the smallest Forces in England and Wales although the area is one of the most densely populated locations in the country, with 9.4 people per hectare compared to a national average of 3.6 people per hectare. In Middlesbrough, this figure rises to 25.7 people per hectare.
Cleveland Police Authority has over 2,000 staff. and is split into four geographical police districts, supported by thirteen specialist service units. In terms of social and cultural diversity, the 2001 census results estimated the resident minority ethnic population to be 2.9%, the majority of which is located in Middlesbrough (where it rises to 6.3%). This compares to 2.8% and 2.4% for the Tees Valley subregion and the north-east region respectively.
Cleveland Police is responsible for policing a predominantly urban, densely populated area, closely resembling metropolitan authorities in socio-economic characteristics and policing needs. There are four unitary local authorities (Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland and Stockton) and these are coterminous with our police districts. This allows for effective joint working with partners where district commanders have the benefit of close liaison with local authorities and Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs). We are considered most similar to the geographic areas policed by: Gwent, Merseyside, Northumbria, South Wales, South Yorkshire and West Midlands and our performance is compared with these 'most similar forces' (MSF). This comparison highlights the urban and distinct nature of the Cleveland Police area.
In addition to being urban in nature, parts of the area are considered to be highly deprived. All four policing districts have large areas of socio-economic deprivation; thirty four of the 88 wards in the Force area are in the top 10% of the most socially deprived wards in the country (IMD 2007 data). These sit alongside industrial sites and areas of affluence and present challenging policing issues. The unemployment rate is 4.6% compared to a Tees Valley average of 4.5%, a north-east regional average of 3.9% and a 2.8% national unemployment average. *Based on November 2008 Claimant Unemployment Rates (percentage of the Working age population)
The chemical industry is a key economic factor and presents the Force, other emergency services and partners with a significant major incident risk. There are 37 higher Control of Major Accident Hazard (COMAH) sites and 10 lower COMAH sites not including the ghost ships in Hartlepool, across the area and we closely monitor and carry out risk assessments of these.
