South Yorkshire's Deputy Chief Constable looks set for new job

DCC Mark Roberts has been named as the ‘preferred candidate’ for the top job by Cheshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, David Keane.

The appointment is expected to be confirmed on Friday.

DCC Roberts previously served with Cheshire Constabulary as Assistant Chief Constable from 2014-2017 before moving to South Yorkshire.He 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.

He was also Head of Investigations for the North West Counter Terrorism Unit.Alongside his current role in South Yorkshire, DCC Roberts is 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.

Once officially appointed, he will rejoin Cheshire Constabulary when current Chief Constable, Darren Martland, retires in the spring.PCC Keane said: “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.”

DCC Roberts said: “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.”

In South Yorkshire, DCC Roberts is responsible for force performance, discipline and complaints, legal services and corporate communications.

In January, the married dad-of-two was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for distinguished service in the Queen’s New Year Honours list.

On receiving the honour, DCC Roberts said: “Our officers and staff demonstrate an unwavering dedication to protecting our communities, a dedication that has shone through even more so over the last 12 months.

“I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved in South Yorkshire and this honour reflects the work of everyone in the force.”