Cleveland Police: The Rot of Corruption Re-emerges....

The disgraced force, mostly known for its institutional corruption scandals dating back to the 1990s is said to be once again embroiled in yet another scandal, only this time involving two local elected officials...

17th May 2025

When a former Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Cleveland publicly accuses the very police force he once oversaw of refusing to release key evidence and blocking independent scrutiny, it’s not just a personal grievance — it’s a flashing red light warning to us all that corruption within Cleveland Police is alive and thriving once again.

Steve Turner’s most recent post on social media — raw, emotional, and damning — lifts the lid on a scandal that many suspected, but few have ever dared to articulate so clearly. Whilst Turner’s experience relates to a political smear campaign allegedly orchestrated by Labour MP for Middlesbrough & Thornaby East Andy McDonald and former Middlesbrough Councillor Matt Storey, the deeper concern lies in what this saga reveals about the institutional decay and political shielding within the region’s policing and governance systems & how things have been put into place to carefully discredit a political opponent thus leading to an election result that could have been very different had the corruption between two Politian's not been at work....

“Cleveland Police refuse to release key evidence or condone an independent investigation.”

This single line from Steve Turner’s post should concern every resident on Teesside. Here we have a former senior elected official openly alleging that Cleveland Police are not just failing in their duties but actively suppressing information that could expose wrongdoing by those elected in power. When the body responsible for law and order begins to obstruct justice rather than uphold it, public confidence quickly disintegrates.

A Culture of Concealment

This isn’t an isolated incident. Recent whistle-blower disclosures to Cleveland Police Exposed and Freedom of Information requests suggest Cleveland Police are increasingly involved in covering up serious crimes — not just involving individuals, but entire institutions, including local government bodies.

Allegations have surfaced that Cleveland Police are actively turning a blind eye to financial irregularities and abuse of power within institutions such as Hartlepool Borough Council and other local authorities on Teesside. Instead of launching robust, independent investigations when concerns of such activities are being raised, reports are said to be vanishing into internal “reviews” with no outcomes, no accountability, and no public transparency. In multiple cases, victims were said to have been repeatedly & deliberately stonewalled, whilst council insiders carried on their illegal activities without consequence.

Let’s not forget: this is the same police force that, just a few years ago, was branded the worst in the country by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies. A force so plagued by incompetence and scandal that it was placed under special measures & not only that, is still facing an Inquest over the death of a Hartlepool man in Middlesbrough Custody following claims Cleveland Police 'murdered' him. And yet, after all the promises of reform, here we are again back to what Cleveland Police does best... 'Corruption Scandals'...

McDonald, Storey, and the Teesside Teflon Shield of Cleveland Police

There's claims Cleveland Police "are going the extra mile" to ensure corruption complaints against elected officials 'go away' !

Turner’s account shines a particularly ugly light on Andy McDonald — once a prominent Labour MP, now an increasingly controversial figure — and his close ally, Matt Storey.

According to Turner, they were responsible for spreading “the most horrific allegations” against him, contributing to his mental health crisis. Despite what he describes as a “whole host of evidence of their wrongdoing,” no legal or political reckoning has occurred.

Worse still, as Turner notes, the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner has also refused to act, and the Labour Party itself is allegedly 'too frightened' to discipline McDonald, fearing what secrets he may spill. What does that tell you? That the web of protection surrounding certain figures is thicker than any moral duty to truth or justice.

This isn’t about political point-scoring anymore. It’s about power, protection, and a public left utterly betrayed by a system which seemingly is going the extra mile to protect officials from corruption allegations at any cost..

Systemic Corruption — Not a One-Off

Since the 1990's Cleveland Police has been mired in Corruption Scandals making it one of the worst in the country

This isn't just about Turner, McDonald, or Cleveland Police. It's about the system — local, political, and legal — A system that appears thoroughly compromised. Cleveland Police’s failure to investigate serious misconduct in local government actually goes hand-in-hand with its unwillingness to hold establishment figures accountable. Whether it's Fraud, misused council funds, undisclosed property deals, or politically motivated abuse of process, one thing is clear: Teesside’s institutions are not just failing — they are actively shielding the corrupt. Time and again, we've seen ordinary residents penalised for minor infractions whilst those in power enjoy a shield of silence and protection. Justice isn’t just being delayed — it’s actively being denied.

What Now?

Steve Turner former PCC for Teesside was the victim of numerous false allegations all said to have been committed by just two elected officials...

Steve Turner has called for an independent inquiry into the actions of McDonald, Storey, and Cleveland Police. He's absolutely right to do so, given the evidence we've seen so far of the lengths Cleveland Police are going to protect certain individuals from prosecution. But the call must go further. We need a root-and-branch external review of Cleveland Police, the Cleveland Police and Crime Panel, and the mechanisms by which public bodies across Teesside are monitored — or not monitored as the case seems to be...

If we don’t act, we risk normalising the very corruption Cleveland Police & other officials is setting out to achieve. We risk becoming a region where corruption is simply tolerated, where police serve politics, not justice, and where the public are left to fend for themselves whilst backroom deals and smear campaigns dictate literally who rises and who falls.....

Justice, and transparency must now be demanded — loudly and relentlessly.

This is a police force with some very serious issues, & when elected officials keep telling the public that Cleveland Police is making "considerable steps forward", Evidence sadly shows its the opposite, in that its taken many steps back.... almost as far as the 1990s again !