PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough were killed in the crash on the A66 near Middlesbrough
A police force that has made a spate of arrests in the wake of a car crash which killed two of its officers is being given an extra £2m in funding, the home secretary has announced.
Shabana Mahmood pledged the cash in light of the challenges faced by Cleveland Police after the seven deaths in the crash which followed a pursuit on the A66 at South Bank, near Middlesbrough, on 22 August.
However, local politicians have criticised the funding of the force and called for a long-term rise in resources.
The force has arrested 27 people for activities it has linked to "serious and organised crime" since the deaths of PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough and the five men who crashed into them.
About 200 police officers from outside Cleveland Police have been drafted in to help the force following the crash, as officers police dealt with a series of incidents including homes being rammed and vehicles set on fire at a vigil.
Mahmood said: "In light of the situation the force has faced, we will allocate an additional £2m to Cleveland Police to tackle serious crime in the area.
"We will do our best to support the Middlesbrough community, which is hurting and grieving right now, and we hear the call from the members of this house representing it for a discussion about investment in policing and police numbers."
Conservative MP Chris Philp told Mahmood the extra £2m pledged was "wholly inadequate" and said he was concerned about a shortfall in funding for the force in general.
He said: "This lawless gang chaos should never have been allowed to take root in the first place."
Commenting following the announcement, Cleveland's Labour Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Matt Storey said a "one-off payment" was "not a solution" and called the move "insulting" and "performative".
He said: "It does nothing to address the chronic underfunding that has disadvantaged policing in Cleveland for years."
He called on the government to act to address "deep-rooted funding inequalities".
"Cleveland Police needs at least an additional £20m every year to recruit and retain 200 more police officers, to strengthen efforts to crack down on serious and organised crime."
Matt Storey said he wanted to see changes to the funding formula
