CHESHIRE Police’s next chief constable has been revealed.

Mark Roberts, who is currently deputy chief constable at South Yorkshire Police, is set to take up the post upon the retirement of present incumbent Darren Martland in the spring.

He previously served the force as assistant chief constable between 2014 and 2017, after 20 years with Greater Manchester Police.

The former head of investigations for the North West Counter Terrorism Unit 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.”

His appointment will be subject to confirmation by the Cheshire Police and crime panel during a meeting on Friday, March 12.

Cheshire police and crime commissioner David Keane added: “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 Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire and Rescue Services 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.”