Jump to contentAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleTwo police officers and five young men have died following a head-on collision on Teesside after a Volkswagen Passat driving the wrong way down a dual carriageway struck a police car. Four of the five deceased civilians travelling in the Passat had accumulated 37 convictions between them, including vehicle theft, drug offences and assaulting police officers. Cleveland Police have arrested 12 people on suspicion of offences including participating in an organised crime group, firearms possession, and drug supply in connection with events leading up to the crash. Detectives stated the fatal collision was linked to serious organised criminality, following reports of a linked vehicle ramming properties in Middlesbrough earlier that morning. Tributes have been paid to PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, whose families described them as dedicated heroes who gave their lives in the line of duty. In fullMen in A66 wrong-way crash that killed two police officers had 37 convictionsMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in