Twelve people have been arrested in connection with a crash on the A66 which killed two police officers, as the force has warned of “significant links to serious and organised criminal activity” as part of the investigation.Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38 died when the vehicle they were driving was struck head-on by a Volkswagen Passat travelling on the wrong side of the A66 in Teesside on Saturday night.Five young men travelling in the Passat – Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak – were pronounced dead at the scene. In an update issued by Cleveland Police on Monday afternoon, nine men and three women, aged between 19 and 61 have been arrested on suspicion of several offences ranging from possession of a firearm to participating in the activities of an organised crime group.Some of those arrested over the A66 investigation are suspected of “participating in the activities of an organised crime group”, adding that four of those killed in the car which hit the police vehicle had previous police convictions.Pc Tom Clough (left) and Pc Matthew Blades (right) died when the vehicle they were driving was struck head-on by a Volkswagen Passat travelling on the wrong side of the A66 in Teesside on Saturday night. (Cleveland Police)The force said its officers had responded to reports that two cars were being driven dangerously on 22 August.The Volkswagen Passat, which collided with the vehicle of Pc Matthew Blades and Pc Tom Clough, had earlier been sought in connection with a Volvo XC60 that was seen ramming properties in the Middlesbrough area.Both vehicles had cloned number plates but were picked up by automated number plate recognition technology, the force said, and the Volvo XC60 has been traced and recovered in Middlesbrough.A force spokesperson added four of the five people in the Passat, including three teenagers, had previous police convictions.The force statement added: “At the current time, there is no evidence to indicate that filming of the activities that took place on Friday night and Saturday morning has taken place for the purposes of TikTok.” A police officer at the scene of a fatal crash on the A66 (PA Wire)Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Fox, responsible for the strategic leadership of the investigation, said: "This has been a fast moving and complex investigation, with significant links to serious and organised criminal activity.“The events of that tragic night will have a lasting and profound impact on the Cleveland area and the communities we seek to protect. "We have a duty to respond to, and thoroughly investigate, the serious criminal activity that resulted in this fatal incident, and to bring all those responsible to justice.“Our robust response will continue in the weeks and months to come, as we continue to tackle those that seek to cause harm to our communities and tackle serious and organised crime.’“Officers and staff across Cleveland have shown incredible resilience in continuing their work in the face of tragedy.“Two of their colleagues lost their lives while serving the people of Cleveland and, while the impact will be felt by our people for a long time to come, they have continued to act with the upmost professionalism.“I am also extremely grateful for the support we have received, and continue to receive, from the public of Cleveland and our wider police family.”More follows on this breaking news story...Subscribe here to get the latest updates from The Independent