Cleveland PCC insists police force with the highest crime rate is making 'improvements'

Cleveland's Police and Crime Commissioner says improvements are already underway, after the force emerged as having the highest rate of recorded crime in England and Wales.

Figures show Cleveland recorded 114 crimes per thousand of the population, up to June 2021.

PCC Steve Turner says extra funding has been secured to put more officers on the streets - and says the picture is skewed by the number of crimes committed against other criminals.

He told ITV News Tyne Tees: "Cleveland isn't a violent place when you compare it to some of the inner city areas. What we see in Cleveland is a lot of the criminal fraternity committing crimes against each other, and these raise our statistics".

He continued, "We don't live in the most violent place in the country, which is how it has been portrayed in the media".

As part of his Police and Crime plan, Mr. Turner promises an extra 250 officers in the force by the end of March 2023.