In the third and final part of this PolicingTV series, Chief Constable Mark Roberts of Cheshire Constabulary looks ahead to the future of policing and reflects on what comes next after 33 years of service. He discusses the skills policing develops, the quality of new recruits entering the profession, and why future police reform must be judged by one simple test: does it make the public safer and help policing deal with more criminals?

The conversation also explores what makes British policing distinctive internationally, including policing by consent, routinely unarmed officers and the connection between neighbourhood policing and high-end counter-terrorism. Drawing on his international experience, Mark warns against creating fragmented policing structures where agencies fail to share information and argues that reform should protect the qualities that make UK policing work while still embracing improvement.

Key takeaways

• Mark Roberts says policing develops high-level decision-making skills that officers often undervalue when leaving the service.
• He believes the quality and experience of new recruits gives policing good reason to look to the future with confidence.
• Police reform should ultimately be judged on whether it makes the public safer and improves crime outcomes.
• Mark argues that successful forces should be studied carefully before major structural changes are imposed.
• Routinely unarmed policing remains one of the most distinctive features of the British model.
• Policing by consent and Robert Peel’s principles still sit at the heart of Mark’s view of the police mission.
• UK policing benefits from a strong link between neighbourhood officers, specialist teams and counter-terrorism capabilities.
• Mark warns that fragmented agencies and poor information sharing can seriously weaken policing effectiveness.

Chapters
00:29 – What comes after 33 years in policing?
01:16 – The skills police officers often underestimate
02:30 – Why the next generation gives him confidence
03:43 – What should police reform actually achieve?
07:32 – What makes British policing different?
09:00 – The link from neighbourhood policing to counter-terrorism
10:10 – When police agencies refuse to share information
11:24 – What comes next for Mark Roberts?

We’re on our way to 2,000 subscribers on YouTube, and we’d love your help getting there! If you find our PolicingTV content valuable, please consider subscribing and joining our growing community.

Subscribe for more leadership conversations from inside and beyond policing

We have launched a YouTube channel where you can also view our videos – just click here and please like and subscribe PTV Youtube