Hartlepool police cells reopen as Cleveland Police experience higher demand after easing of lockdown

The custody suite at Hartlepool Police Station in Avenue Road was mothballed by the force in early 2019.

But following an increase in demand during the pandemic, and calls from politicians, the cells have been opened temporarily since the end of July as a resilience suite.

The force says has seen an increased in calls since lockdown restrictions were eased and the Hartlepool reopening is part of ongoing improvements to the way it deals with detainees.

Cleveland Police deals with over 15,000 people a year in custody, many of them vulnerable in some way, including due to drug or alcohol misuse.

The force now has a dedicated Chief Inspector for Custody with Martin Hopps.

He said: “In the early stages of the pandemic those working in custody had to respond quickly to changes in working practices to keep them and prisoners safe.

“They showed real professionalism in adapting processes quickly when less was known about transmission, to ensure detainees were kept safe but also when facing new challenges such as being threatened with spitting or coughing.

“We continue to adapt within custody to ensure we can process prisoners in a way that is COVID-safe for them and police colleagues.

“Hartlepool provides us with additional capacity we can use at times of high demand.”

The force says people they hold must be detained and released safely and those held overnight for court must also be dealt with efficiently.

The opening of the Hartlepool cells as a resilience suite means it has more cells available at any one time and officers can respond to 999 calls effectively.

Chief Inspector Hopps, who joined Cleveland from from Northumbria Police in November 2020, has completed a thorough review of demand.

The review found that there has been a 16% increase in people held in custody over the last three years.

The future of Hartlepool custody suite was an issue in both this year’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) election and the town’s Parliamentary by-election.

Successful Conservative PCC candidate, Steve Turner, said reopening the custody suite was among his “first priorities”.

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