Police and Crime Commissioner Matt Storey said: “The Tees Valley Mayor may recall that I was the one that introduced him to community safety accreditation schemes as a possible solution to reduce crime in another local town centre, over a year ago.
“Therefore I am not opposed to such a scheme in principle. That’s why it was so disappointing when the Mayor announced it on social media without any prior consultation with me.
“I am very keen that the £1.3m investment he is making is utilised in the most effective way possible and it is important to recognise that “town guards” may not be the only option.
“The same amount of money could recruit dedicated PCSOs for the town centre. Or through effective partnership efforts, it could fund a combination of town guards, PCSOs and street wardens.
“Either way, it is not appropriate to conduct policy via social media before formal agreements have been made through proper channels. The Mayor was unable to meet with me as planned this month, so to suggest I am unwilling to have discussions on this matter is simply not true.
“The Mayor’s funding would bolster the £2.4m I have committed to enhance local neighbourhood policing, which will see the recruitment of an additional 63 officers, staff and volunteers, including six dedicated town centre police officers for Middlesbrough.
“Dedicated hotspot patrols have also resulted in street wardens and police officers spending thousands of additional hours in areas affected by violent crime and antisocial behaviour, many of which are town centres.
“In terms of calling Cleveland Police “broken”, not only does this go against the findings of the force’s latest inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, but is an insult to the hard work of officers, staff and volunteers working daily to keep people safe and bring offenders to justice.
“My hope is that the Mayor, myself and other key partners can come together to build on work already underway to make Middlesbrough town centre safer for everyone.”