Cheshire Constabulary’s new Chief Constable Mark Roberts has stepped into the role after the official retirement of Darren Martland.
Mark, previously Deputy Chief Constable at South Yorkshire Police, said he is “proud” to be leading the county’s force.
He served at Greater Manchester Police for 21 years and worked at Cheshire Constabulary as Assistant Chief Constable between 2014 and 2017.
His key role is to lead the force out of the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond.
He said: “I am delighted and proud to be the new Chief Constable of Cheshire Constabulary and look forward to working with our officers and staff, the Police and Crime Commissioner and local partners to deliver an outstanding service to all our communities in Cheshire.
“Having served in Cheshire for three years as an Assistant Chief Constable, I know we have a great team who genuinely care about, and are committed to, public service.
“The force is already performing well.
“My role is to build on the work of previous Chief Constable Darren Martland and the team and to provide our people with the support and leadership that will take us to the forefront of UK policing.
“I am determined to bring my previous experience from Cheshire, Greater Manchester Police and South Yorkshire Police and my national roles to bear for the benefit of the constabulary so that we can continue to keep Cheshire a safe place for the public and a bad place to be a criminal.”
Mark was announced as Police and Crime Commissioner David Keane’s preferred candidate for the role on Monday 8 March.
A Police and Crime Panel backed the appointment on Friday 12 March.
Mr Keane, who is running as a candidate to be re-elected as PCC for Cheshire, said: “Mark has a wealth of experience in local policing and will continue to deliver a community-based police service which puts residents at the heart of everything it does and protects vulnerable people.
“He believes in the approach of adopting problem-solving methods to work with local people to tackle issues that are specific to each local community.
“I believe his work over the forthcoming months and years will ensure Cheshire remains one of the safest counties in the country.”
Mark’s career working in both uniform and investigative roles started with Greater Manchester Police in 1993.
He played an active role in many high profile incidents and investigations at GMP, one of the country’s biggest police forces.
He was Head of Investigations for the North West Counter Terrorism Unit and was awarded three commendations from the Director of the FBI.
Mark was part of the review team for the case of serial killer Harold Shipman and received a Chief Constable’s Commendation for his role as a test purchaser tackling drug dealing in Moss Side.
He is a Public Order and Firearms Strategic Commander and was in charge of the tactical response to the 2011 riots in Manchester and Salford.
Mark has been deployed as the Head of Delegation when the England football team play abroad.
In his last post at GMP, as the Trafford Basic Command Unit Commander between 2009 and 2014, Mark was responsible for policing the Old Trafford football stadium.
The father-of-two moved to Cheshire Constabulary in 2014 to lead local policing across the county, creating the eight local police units in place in Cheshire today.
Mark retains his position as the national lead for football policing and covert legislation and guidance.
He was responsible for the UK’s policing support for Euro 2016 and the 2018 World Cup in Russia and recently completed an independent review into football policing on behalf of Police Scotland.
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