Published as they are on Mondays, I get these articles to the Argus by Friday afternoon at the latest.
Last week, because of the tragic death of six-year-old Saja El-Khawas who subsequently died after her family drowned in Shoreham, I submitted an updated version late on Friday night. That article was about how emergency service workers face what can seem like an unstoppable stream of traumatic incidents and the effects that has on them.
Little did I know that five hours later the most horrendous tragedy would explode in Middlesbrough. In some ways I’m glad I didn’t write this article in the immediate aftermath of the senseless deaths of PCs Matthew Blades and Thomas Clough as my anger at the time was so intense I barely knew what to do with it.
Naming the Officers Who Deserve to Be Remembered
Reflecting on the reminders from the chief constable of Cleveland and others, I won’t speculate on what happened in the moments leading up to Matthew’s and Thomas’s deaths. You may wonder why I’m only naming the brave officers who sacrificed their lives for their community and not the others killed in the crash. I make no apology for that. I’m sure their families’ grief is real but when police officers die in this way it is those who we should remember, and for their loss we should ask, “why?”.
What We Know About the Pursuit
The pursuit that ended Matthew and Thomas’s lives had been going on for seven minutes following reports of suspected criminal activity. The pursuit was terminated ten seconds before the Volkswagen Passat hit Matthew’s and Thomas’s car.
Where the Culpability Lies
It was called off as the driving was so dangerous that decision-makers took the view it was better to let them go than create a situation which might cost lives, which of course it did.
The officers were travelling in a marked police car which was hit head-on by the Volkswagen Passat, which was evading police.
The Volkswagen Passat ‘s five occupants died in the crash on the A66 near Middlesbrough.
There has been criticism from one of the Passat occupants’ relatives to demand why the pursuit wasn’t called off earlier. This absolutely beggars belief. Of course the pursuit could have ended earlier if the driver had stopped when told. Of course lives would have been saved if the vehicle hadn’t driven down the wrong side of the A66. But they did and people died.
Matthew and Thomas will not see their children grow to adulthood. They will never reach old age and the communities of Cleveland will never feel the benefit of their courageous and selfless service. I have no doubt they were superb fathers, wonderful friends and family members.
A Message to Two Sets of Families
I say to the friends, family and colleagues of Matthew and Thomas, they are heroes, so be very proud of who they are and what they did, know that it is their memory that will prevail and it is for them the nation mourns.
I originally wrote this for my weekly column in The Argus, published on Monday, 31 August 2026.
