Knife criminals in Middlesbrough can dodge jail by accepting mental health support, police documents reveal

Knife and drug offenders in Middlesbrough are being allowed to avoid prosecution under a Cleveland Police scheme called Divert, which has taken 1,853 participants since 2018. The programme lets those who admit carrying bladed weapons sidestep criminal charges by signing up for mental health, housing or substance misuse support instead. The revelation comes days after two police officers, PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, were killed in a head-on crash with five young joyriders on the A66. A local councillor declared Middlesbrough has 'fallen to criminals' as politicians blamed 'soft justice' for making young offenders feel 'untouchable'.

The Divert scheme, run by Cleveland's Police and Crime Commissioner, covers possession of weapons and drugs as well as shoplifting offences.

Critics say the unrest that followed the A66 tragedy laid bare a 'rotten mass of criminality' that had been left to flourish in communities where politicians had long since disengaged.

One Middlesbrough resident described living in 'pure fear' as gang violence swept the town in the wake of the fatal crash.