Police chief retiring 'early' after 33-year career

Cheshire's chief constable has said he is proud of his 33-year career, despite his retirement coming earlier than he would have chosen.

In a press release announcing his retirement earlier this year, Mark Roberts said he had hoped to continue in the role through to 2028, but said the decision had been made to "take the force in a different direction" by police and crime commissioner Dan Price.

"My preferred option of continuing in role beyond May 2027 would not be available," Roberts told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Price told the LDRS the chief constable's decision to retire before his contract ended was his own.

"The chief constable and I discussed my reasons for not extending his contract as well as the timescales for recruiting his replacement, aligning with April 2027. This is standard practice for such a senior role," Price said.

Roberts' career in policing began in 1993 in Salford and culminated in him becoming chief of Cheshire's force in 2021.

"For me, policing has been a vocation and privilege, and I am immensely proud of everything that I have achieved over the past 33 years," he said.

"I have worked alongside some truly dedicated and focused colleagues who strive every day to provide the best possible service to the public."

He added: "Cheshire is a force very much at the top of its game, so this announcement does not mean that the good work stops here - far from it.

"What has been achieved over these past few years has been truly outstanding and I have no doubt that this will continue."

The force had been ranked top in the country for tackling violence offences, stalking and harassment, sexual offences and burglary, he said.

"Policing provides an outstanding career and having started life on a council estate in Stretford, it has afforded me incredible experiences," he said.

During his career, Roberts was divisional commander of Trafford and went on to lead North West Counter Terrorism as head of investigations.

He joined Cheshire Constabulary in 2014 as assistant chief constable, and in 2017 he moved to South Yorkshire Police as deputy chief constable, before rejoining the Cheshire force as chief four years later.

Since 2014, he has also been the national lead for football policing and covert legislation and guidance, overseeing many football tournaments, the latest being the 2026 Fifa World Cup.

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