Boy, 16, arrested on suspicion of rape during Cleveland Police day-long Operation Artemis crime crackdown


Cleveland Police arrested a total of 17 suspects during the first Operation Artemis action of the year last Friday.
The focus of the operation was violent crime covering weapon related violence, robbery, night-time economy related violence, domestic abuse and sexual violence.
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Hide AdTeams of officers banged on suspects’ doors in Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Stockton.
As well as the 16-year-old boy arrested on suspicion of rape in the Hartlepool area, two men aged 42 and 18 and a 36-year-old woman were arrested in town on suspicion of grievous bodily harm.
All three were release on conditional bail.
A 29-year-old man also was arrested in the Grange Road area on suspicion of grievous bodily harm with intent.
Elsewhere in the town, police recovered drugs and cash after stopping a Citroen C3.
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Hide AdMore drugs and money were seized during a subsequent house search.
Two men, aged 35 and 36, were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply drugs and bailed pending further inquiries.
Temporary Detective Superintendent Deb Fenny said: “Serious violence is a wide-ranging issue that affects victims physically, emotionally and psychologically.
“Operation Artemis enables us to showcase a snapshot of the work we do as a force to tackle this issue every single day.
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Hide Ad"Our visibility in our communities on Friday should send the message that we do not tolerate violent crime and will do everything we can to stop it – with enforcement, engagement or education.”
Also as part of the operation, police and council community wardens tackled antisocial behaviour, including aggressive begging around the "ramp” area in Hartlepool town centre.
PC Ashleigh Wood said it was a “hot spot” area for complaints from the public.
In the last 12 months, almost 20 Community Protection Warnings, which place conditions on individuals to stop their anti-social actions, have been issued.
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Hide AdOfficers also spoke to local shops about violence towards staff.
And Hartlepool PC Geoff Coggin spoke to 60 Hartlepool College of Education students about night time safety covering issues of spiking, along with campaigns such as Ask for Angela, One Punch and Carrying a Blade Doesn’t Give You an Edge.