Middlesbrough police chief denies gangs control the town as she begs for more cash and officers and praises 'brave' pair killed in line of duty

The head of Cleveland Police has denied gangs control Middlesbrough, declaring: 'We're doing the very best with what we've got.'Chief Constable Victoria Fuller said her force needs £26million to defeat organised gangs and tackle street crime as she appeared in an emotional interview following the death of two of her officers, PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38.The two officers died in the line of duty when five young men driving their Volkswagen Passat the wrong way down the A66, near Middlesbrough, collided with them on August 22.Jakub Matusiak, 23, Michael Cahill, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, Theo Rae, 17, and Cole Worthy, 17, were all killed in the crash, which has set off a wave of violence and unrest in Middlesbrough and County Durham.The area of the country covered by Cleveland Police, which includes Middlesbrough, has the highest crime rate in England and Wales. There has been a spate of car rammings in the area, typically used to intimidate rival gangs, while vulnerable teenagers have been recruited for county lines.In an interview with the BBC, Ms Fuller denied gangs have taken control of Middlesbrough, but admitted the area needs far more funding. 'We're doing the very, very best with what we've got - and we absolutely do need more,' she said.Authorities say organised crime is being fuelled by high deprivation and unemployment in the area. Chief Constable Victoria Fuller begged for more funding and officers as she appeared in an emotional interview following the death of two of her officers, PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38 Cars were torched during a vigil for Michael Cahill, one of the A66 crash gang who died PC Tom Clough, left, and PC Matthew Blades were killed in the car crash on the A66'When young people have little aspiration or hope, who don't have confidence in the state, then unfortunately criminals exploit these people,' Ms Fuller said.'They give confidence, and they give them hope, and they give them aspiration. And sadly what that means is young people doing things without thought of consequences.'Ms Fuller described PC Blades and PC Clough as 'brave, committed, professional people who put the public before themselves'.'What Matty and Tom were doing that day was a routine part of their role, so I can't sit here and say that anything would have prevented this from happening,' she said.'But we have been calling for better funding for many years now. I've been here for four years now and, even in my time, there's been two, two direct funding requests for additional funding here.'Ms Fuller, who joined Cleveland in 2022 and was appointed chief constable in June last year, welcomed a £2million cash boost from Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to tackle serious crime after a spate of incidents in the area.But she said £26million was required to defeat organised gangs and tackle street crime. Ms Fuller told The Times: 'These are complex, multi-generational issues that will not be solved by policing alone.'It won't be solved overnight — and certainly not with £2 million.' She added: 'We deal with issues akin to inner-city crime [but] the budget doesn't match. I don't want Cleveland to have the highest crime rate.' Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner Matt Storey said the force was facing a £2.4 million funding shortfall, said to be the equivalent of about 40 full-time police officers.Mr Storey previously said the Government's funding for the force 'completely fails to deliver the resources required to meet the demand faced by Cleveland Police and falls far short of what is needed'.Ms Fuller said she was 'passionate' about leading the force through this 'difficult time', and for the next few years.She continued: 'Do you know what? I've got the best workforce. I've got the best workforce of the most selfless, committed people who do punch above their weight.'I just want to say thank you to the vast majority of people that live in our area, who are really good, law-abiding people, who care deeply about their communities, who care deeply for their police service, and who have really supported us through.'Mourners yesterday gathered for the funeral of one of the five young men killed in the A66 crash Mourners attend the funeral of Jakub Matusiak. Many were dressed in orange while some were maskedYesterday, hundreds of mourners gathered in Middlesbrough for the funeral of Jakub Matusiak - one of the five young men who died in the A66 crash.A white carriage drawn by two grey horses carrying Matusiak's coffin arrived at St John The Evangelist Church, just before 3pm.Family members and close friends arrived in a Rolls Royce, two Lamborghinis, a Porsche and two limousines.Floral tributes spelling the words 'Dad' and 'Friend' had been placed on top of the carriage while two black hearses followed behind carrying photographs of Matusiak framed with cream and orange flowers.The family had requested mourners wear orange, his favourite colour. Traffic was held up as the coffin, engraved with the words 'son', was carried into the church by six pallbearers, the solemn silence interrupted briefly by applause and whistles.It came after schools were accused of 'giving in to thugs' by closing at lunchtime over fears of disorder.Six schools in Middlesbrough shut their doors at midday on Friday to avoid clashing with Matusiak's funeral in the South Bank area of the town.The decision, which was condemned by the Conservatives, followed a meeting between head teachers and the local authority over concerns about large crowds, motorbikes and quad bikes gathering.Officers stayed away from the service when it began even as crowds continued to gather outside, with some attending in balaclavas and hoodies.Members of the press who were reporting on the funeral were advised to leave the area half-way through with one man exclaiming 'It would be a good idea to leave…now.'At a 'memorial' for Matusiak last month, close to the crash site in South Bank, orange balloons were released, fireworks set off and balaclava-clad bikers intimidated residents.Matusiak had previously shared footage on social media of him driving a Volvo recklessly, veering off the road and speeding across a grass park in May. He had two previous convictions for driving without a licence and using a vehicle without insurance. Police are investigating whether the five men had links to 'serious and organised criminal activity'.Four of the group had at least 37 previous convictions between them.