Two Men Apprehended by Plain-Clothed Officers in Middlesbrough Town Centre are Sentenced
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Two men who were apprehended by officers in plain clothes in Middlesbrough town centre after attempting to steal a pedal bike have been sentenced in court.
Around 3:40pm on Friday 5th December, Middlesbrough Proactive Team officers on plain-clothed patrols swooped on Carl Crozier and Raymond Teasdale, both aged 40, in Linthorpe precinct, as they attempted to cut through a security chain on a pedal bike.
CCTV showed that they had inspected the bike racks near to MacDonalds before they entered a nearby DIY store and purchased a cutting tool. Crozier can be seen passing on money to Teasdale, so both were involved in the purchase.
They then returned to the bike racks where they attempted to cut one of the bikes’ locks.
Plain-clothed officers immediately intervened, and gave chase to Crozier who attempted to make off from them. They caught up with him, and arrested both men.
Teasdale, of Magdalen Street, Middlesbrough, was charged with attempted theft of a pedal cycle and going equipped for theft.
Crozier, of Lothian Road, Middlesbrough, was charged with attempted theft of a pedal cycle, possession of a class C drug and possession of a class B drug.
They both appeared at Teesside Magistrates Court on Saturday 6th December and received community orders.
Both men were ordered to pay costs of £85.00 to the Crown Prosecution Service, a surcharge of £114.00 and will be required to carry out unpaid work for 150 hours over the next 12 months.
As part of the Policing in the Heart of your Neighbourhood campaign, officers are focusing on town centres, retail areas and the night time economy with visible community-led policing to keep our communities safe. This is in partnership with the retail sector, voluntary organisations, licensed premises, transport companies - and of course residents themselves.
Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller said: “Cleveland Police is committed to ensuring our town centres and retail spaces are safe, vibrant places where business owners feel listened to and valued, visitors can shop and meet friends, and crime is not tolerated.
“We can only achieve this through strong partnership working, and we continue to engage positively with Middlesbrough Council, Teesside University, and other key partners to tackle crime in the town centre.
"We will continue to work closely with partners to look at potential additional resources and the best, most viable options to deploy these. We have already met and are actively engaged in these conversations at both a strategic and tactical level.
“We already have several proactive operations in place, including our Policing in the Heart of Your Neighbourhoods campaign. This initiative has introduced an additional six dedicated PCs working in the town centre, engaging with businesses and the community, and using all available powers — including Criminal Behaviour Orders — to target offenders.”
Middlesbrough town centre crime stats:
- 12-month reduction of 10.9% for past 12 months
- Shoplifting down 10.9% in the past 12 months
- Business burglary down 12% in past 12 months
- Theft from person down 15.4%
- Damage down -39.7%
- Violence down – 15.2% (127 fewer victims)
- 20 live Criminal Behaviour Orders in place for the town centre.