Cleveland Police Facing Investigation Over Alleged Assault on Driver During A Routine Traffic Stop...

Cleveland Police Exposed
4 days ago
4 min read

Updated: 24 hours ago

The Disgraced police force which was previously hauled into special measures is now facing claims they assaulted an innocent motorist after he protested over the validity of his vehicle insurance...

11th May 2025

Cleveland Police are said to be facing investigation by the IOPCC again after disturbing footage emerged on social media showing what appears to be the assault of a driver by a police officer during a so-called “routine stop” in Middlesbrough.

The video, which has rapidly circulated across numerous social media platforms, shows at least two officers involved in an incident that has now sparked outrage across Teesside and fuelling calls for an immediate referral of the incident to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

The incidents said to have occurred on Acklam Road, Middlesbrough, on 4th May 2025, when officers from Cleveland Police stopped a Fiat Ducato van. According to initial police claims, the stop was due to an ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) alert suggesting the vehicle was uninsured. However, this assertion has since been thrown into doubt.

Wrongful Seizure Sparks Scuffle

The Officer is clearly seen on video footage recorded on a mobile phone exiting the vehicle & 'pushing' the driver with his hand to his chest

The owner of the vehicle, A Fiat Ducato has since provided proof that the van was, in fact, fully insured. With it now being alleged that the ANPR system used by police hadn’t been updated with the driver's new insurance policy — a critical failure on the part of either the system or the officers involved, resulting in the wrongful seizure of the vehicle.

The Officer alleged to have 'assaulted' the driver....

As shown in the video footage on social media, Attempts by the driver to show officers his valid insurance documents were reportedly ignored, and in video footage reviewed by Durham & Teesside Today, it appears an officer then escalated the situation by leaving his vehicle & shoving the man in the chest, after slamming shut the police vehicle door in an attempt to dismiss the driver's protests.

Violent Arrest Raises Serious Concerns over the behaviour of Cleveland Police as an Extremist Group !

The officers were then seen to be pulling the driver out of the vehicle by force...

What followed has shocked many in the local community on Teesside: where its claimed at least four officers then forcibly restrained the driver to the ground, during which it’s alleged one officer then kicked the man in the head. The man reportedly sustained injuries serious enough to require treatment in A&E. The footage is said to contradict initial claims made by Cleveland Police, who had told a local newspaper the situation involved a "minor altercation" and “appropriate force.”

The incident, now widely labelled as an unjustified and violent arrest, is being cited as yet another example of a pattern of behaviour within Cleveland Police that undermines further public confidence in the disgraced institution widely considered by many to be Teesside's publicly funded Extremist Group..

Family Seeks Justice — Cleveland Police However Are Reserving their Right to Remain Silent...

The Victim reportedly had to be treated for their injuries at James Cook Hospital

The victim’s family have since taken to social media in a plea for additional witnesses to come forward, as they look to pursue potential legal action. It's also been revealed that the seized van was quietly returned to the owner — free of charge — after Cleveland Police apparently acknowledged their error off-record. But with no formal apology, and no comment from the force acknowledging the assault, the family’s campaign is gathering support across Teesside.

This comes at a time when Cleveland Police's reputation is once again said to be in freefall, with many recalling a similar case in Hartlepool nearly three years ago, in which a man died in custody just hours after being stopped by officers in the towns Whitby Street in circumstances described by some as disturbingly alike. That death, also shrouded in secrecy, remains under inquest — and the force has refused to release the IOPCC findings, even to Durham & Teesside Today, despite repeated Freedom of Information requests & even the threat of legal action...

A Force with No Public Confidence

The latest incident exposes a disturbing trend in Cleveland Police’s handling of both routine stops and serious misconduct. With multiple unresolved cases and a public increasingly wary of the force’s actions, the question must be asked:

How many more must be injured by this Extremist Group — or worse ?