CHESHIRE’S Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) David Keane has today (March 8) announced that Mark Roberts has been chosen as his preferred candidate to take up the position of Cheshire’s chief constable.

Mark is currently the deputy chief constable of South Yorkshire Police having previously served with Cheshire Constabulary as assistant chief constable from 2014-2017.

During his time in Cheshire, he led on a realignment of local policing in the county, creating the eight local police units we have today. This coincided with reducing crime rates and an approach judged 'outstanding' by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS).

Prior to this, Mark spent more than 20 years at Greater Manchester Police in both investigative and uniform roles playing an active part in major incidents and investigations including the Manchester riots in 2011.

At this time, he was also Head of Investigations for the North West Counter Terrorism Unit.

Mark is also the national lead for football policing and covert legislation and guidance. He was responsible for the UK’s policing support for Euro 2016, the 2018 World Cup in Russia and has recently completed an independent review into football policing on behalf of Police Scotland.

He’ll rejoin Cheshire Constabulary when current chief constable Darren Martland retires in the spring.

The appointment follows a rigorous and competitive recruitment process which has been carried out in accordance with the College of Policing guidance on the appointment of chief officers.

The appointment panel was chaired by PCC David Keane with support from key leaders across Cheshire who have professional knowledge and understanding of the criminal justice system.

David said: "I’m delighted to select Mark Roberts as my preferred candidate for chief constable and I’m looking forward to working with him to further develop our community policing model, building on the strong foundations established under the leadership of outgoing chief constable Darren Martland.

"Mark has a wealth of experience in local policing and shares my vision of delivering truly local community-based policing which puts residents at the heart of the service.

"He is experienced in the approach of adopting problem-solving methods to work with local people to tackle local issues specific to each local community.

"I believe that his appointment is very positive for Cheshire and will allow us to build in our consistently positive ratings from HMICFRS and deliver an outstanding service that ensures Cheshire remains one of the safest counties in the country.

"This has been a highly competitive process with applications from high quality candidates.

"I’d like to thank all those that applied and the appointment panel who provided me with their expert opinion and advice."

Mark added: "I’m extremely proud to be selected as the preferred candidate for Cheshire chief constable.

"Having previously worked in Cheshire, I know that the Constabulary has a great workforce that is committed to delivering an outstanding service for the people of Cheshire.

"I am excited to build on the work of Darren and the command team to keep Cheshire safe."

The appointment is subject to a confirmation hearing by Cheshire Police and Crime Panel who will review the proposed appointment at a meeting this Friday, March 12.