CHESHIRE Police’s latest chief constable has begun his new role.

Force boss Mark Roberts has assumed his duties this week after previous incumbent Darren Martland retired on Friday, April 23.

The married dad-of-two was formerly the deputy chief constable of South Yorkshire Police and served in Cheshire as assistant chief constable between 2014 and 2017.

He said: “I am delighted and proud to be the new chief constable of Cheshire Police 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 that 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 Police, 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.”

Chief constable Roberts previously served with GMP for 21 years and is the national lead for football policing.

PCC David Keane added: “I’d like to offer a warm welcome to Mark to Cheshire Constabulary. He brings with him strong leadership skills and the dedication and passion to continuously strive for the best in order to protect our communities.

“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 that Cheshire remains one of the safest counties in the country.”