Three men were arrested on Thursday morning on suspicion of rape as part of a police crackdown on violence against women and girls. The trio, a 52-year-old man from Hartlepool, a 21-year-old from Middlesbrough and a 48-year-old from Stockton, were among six people arrested as part of Operation Artemis.

Cleveland Police kicked off the operation as officers and partner agencies gathered for a briefing at Police HQ. Chief Constable Victoria Fuller opened the briefing with a talk on the importance on protecting women and girls from violence, before officers went out to deliver early morning wake up calls to a number of outstanding suspects.

A spokesperson for Cleveland Police said: "Six arrested so far in this morning's Operation Artemis to tackle violence against women and girls. A 48-year-

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