Armed police have been seen pointing rifles towards properties on Burns Road in Grangetown during an early-morning operation amid a major crackdown on suspected organised crime across Teesside.
Officers were photographed taking up positions outside homes in the area in the early hours of Monday, 31 August, as the force responded to a recent spate of serious violence in and around Middlesbrough.
The deployment comes after Cleveland Police brought in hundreds of additional officers to support its investigation into a series of incidents, including a fatal crash on the A66, a house fire in Grangetown and attacks on properties.
Police said on Friday that the number of arrests linked to the wider organised-crime operation had reached 24. Suspects have been held over allegations including criminal damage with intent to endanger life, threats to kill, arson and drugs offences.
Two people died in the Grangetown house fire on 26 August, including seven-year-old Valentina Foster and her aunt, Natalie McDonald, 34. Cleveland Police has since said it was not linking the blaze to the A66 collision, in which seven people, including two police officers, were killed.
A 23-year-old man remains under questioning in connection with the murder investigation into the fire, while a 31-year-old man has been released without further charge. Enquiries remain ongoing.
