If you complain about Cleveland Police and ask for a review, the reviewing body found the force's original outcome was not reasonable and proportionate in 37.9% of 66 completed reviews in 2024/25, the 2nd highest of 43 forces and 13.4 points above the national figure of 24.5%. Cleveland Police recorded 19,967 stop and searches between 2023-07 to 2026-04, and 84.7% ended in no further action.
Share a fact about Cleveland Police
The most common stated reason Cleveland Police gave for a stop and search was "Controlled drugs", with 12,634 searches, 68.6% of those with a reason recorded.
Source: data.police.uk, 2023-07 to 2026-04. Figures as published; see the tables on this page for the full denominators.
Complaints about Cleveland Police
| Complaint cases logged | 2,109 |
|---|---|
| Employees | 2,534 |
| Cases per 1,000 employees | 832.3 (1st of 44) |
| Review applications to the local policing body | 69 |
| Review applications to the IOPC | 4 |
Where reviews found the outcome was not reasonable and proportionate
| Route | Reviews completed | Outcome overturned | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local policing body, complaint not investigated | 63 | 24 | 38.1% |
Stop and search by Cleveland Police
| Searches recorded | 19,967 |
|---|---|
| Period | 2023-07 to 2026-04 |
| Months of data | 34 of 36 |
| Ended in no further action | 84.7% |
What Cleveland Police searched people for
| Stated object of search | Searches |
|---|---|
| Controlled drugs | 12,634 |
| Offensive weapons | 2,308 |
| Article for use in theft | 2,139 |
| Stolen goods | 746 |
| Articles for use in criminal damage | 578 |
Who Cleveland Police searched
Use of force by Cleveland Police
| Year | Use of force reports | Relative volume |
|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 15,092 | |
| 2021/22 | 16,810 | |
| 2022/23 | 17,663 | |
| 2023/24 | 18,987 | |
| 2024/25 | 19,366 |
Recorded use of force by Cleveland Police has risen 28.3% since 2020/21. Nationally the total rose 39.4% over the same period, so this force is below the national trend.
Taser use
| Total recorded Taser uses | 466 |
|---|---|
| Of which discharged | 32 |
| Share actually discharged | 6.9% |
Most recorded Taser use is drawing, aiming or red-dotting rather than firing. The share actually discharged is the figure worth knowing.
Complaining to Cleveland Police
Complaints go to the force first. Use its own official channel so the complaint is recorded properly and you get written confirmation.
- Cleveland Police official website
- Telephone: 101
What you can do about it
Complaining to a force and bringing a claim against it are different processes with different outcomes. Reviews overturn the force's own finding in roughly a quarter of cases nationally, which makes the review stage worth understanding before you use it.
Cleveland Police in the news
The five most recent reports mentioning this force, collected automatically. Headlines and links belong to the publishers named. We do not edit, summarise or endorse them, and inclusion here does not imply any finding against anyone.
- Torching cars at A66 crash vigil ‘completely unacceptable’, say police
- Cleveland police’s five pleas for help ignored
- 'Get criminals off Middlesbrough streets,' says minister after nine left dead
- Cars torched at vigil after A66 crash as MP describes violence as ‘terrorism’
- Footballers pay tribute to police officers killed in A66 crash
- Independent Office for Police Conduct, police complaints statistics for England and Wales, 2024/25.
- data.police.uk stop and search API, 2023-07 to 2026-04. Accessed 2026-08-29.
- Home Office police use of force statistics, England and Wales, 2024/25.
Data last refreshed , covering 2023-07 to 2026-04. Every figure on this page is recomputed from the source datasets, not edited by hand. Found something wrong? Tell us.