PC Matthew Blades, 37, one of two police officers killed in a head-on collision on the A66 near Middlesbrough, was a football coach who had been looking forward to coaching his own son, his club has confirmed. The crash, which occurred at 3.39am on Saturday, also claimed the lives of five members of the public travelling in a Volkswagen Passat that was driving the wrong way along the dual carriageway.
Football Club Pays Tribute to 'Much-Loved' Coach
Seaton Carew FC revealed that PC Blades, a husband and father-of-two, had recently taken on a coaching role at the club and was preparing for his first session with the under-sevens Seahawks squad. In a statement on social media, the club said: "He was looking forward to being part of the team and, most importantly, to coaching his own son, who is going to be playing for the Seahawks this season."
The club added: "Matty and his oldest son are much-loved members of our club and our U10 Lions football family." PC Blades and his colleague PC Tom Clough, 38, were travelling in a marked armed response vehicle in the correct direction when the Volkswagen Passat collided with them head-on. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating the events leading up to the crash following a mandatory referral from Cleveland Police.
Investigation Underway After Police Pursuit
The watchdog confirmed that officers had identified a suspicious vehicle and a chase ensued before the car moved onto the A66 and collided with the police vehicle. It is understood that the police vehicle PC Blades and PC Clough were travelling in was not involved in the pursuit. The collision happened in South Bank, Middlesbrough, and five individuals travelling in the Volkswagen also died.
Cleveland Police and crime commissioner Matt Storey described the force as a "really tight-knit family" and said the incident "will have a big impact on them". Anna Turley, MP for the Redcar constituency where the collision occurred, said the "whole community is reeling here today" on Sunday morning.
Impact on Close-Knit Force
Former Metropolitan Police officer Mr Wettone told the Press Association that colleagues "all know each other" in smaller UK forces. He said: "If I bump into an ex-Met officer then within 30 seconds we'll know someone together, we'll have a common link. In forces like Cleveland, they will literally know most people." Cleveland Police had a workforce of 2,647 in March 2024, comprising police officers, police community support officers, special constables, police staff and police staff volunteers, according to a previous review. The Met had around 30,000 officers when Mr Wettone served there, he said.
Mr Wettone added that a "significant policing career" is typically required to become an armed response officer, as both PC Blades and PC Clough were. He told PA: "They've worked their way through police response teams, police community teams, and in such a small force, they will be very, very well known amongst the force itself, so it has a massive impact." He added that most response teams in Cleveland will know at least one, if not both, of the officers, and the impact of losing their colleagues will be "hitting those officers today".
Chief Constable Pays Tribute to 'Brave Officers'
Cleveland Police confirmed on Saturday that officers are providing support to the families of the five individuals who were travelling in the Volkswagen. Chief Constable Victoria Fuller said: "These were brave officers protecting our communities and serving our residents who didn't return home to their families at the end of their shift." Mr Storey cautioned against speculation on social media, telling Sky News: "The IOPC will do their work, the force will do their work, and that will give an official view of what's happened. Social media can be quite dangerous when rumours get spread around, and we need to make sure that the information is correct."
Cleveland Police Federation chairwoman Lauren Somerville said: "Words cannot describe the pain the Cleveland Police family are feeling today. Our colleagues who should have been going home to their loved ones at the end of their shifts are not. And that is just unfathomable." The tragedy prompted numerous other police forces to offer their condolences, among them the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Sussex Police and the Met. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he was "devastated" to hear about the crash, while Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said her thoughts were with all those affected.
