The Chief Constable and Deputy Chief Constable have both had their contracts extended.

Cheshire Chief Constable Mark Roberts and Deputy Chief Constable Chris Armitt have each had their contracts extended by PCC John Dwyer. 

CC Roberts is now set to remain in post until April 2027 and DCC Armitt until August 2028.

Both officers had joined the force in their current posts in 2021, although CC Roberts had previously served as an ACC with Cheshire before moving to South Yorkshire and later returning. 

CC Roberts started his policing career with GMP in 1993 and has performed both investigative and uniform roles up to Superintendent, including leading a syndicate on the GMP Major Investigation Team and as Head of Investigations at the North West Counter Terrorism Unit (CTU).

He is a public order and firearms strategic commander and was in charge of the tactical response to the 2011 riots in Manchester and Salford, for which he was Silver Commander.

DCC Armitt moved to Cheshire from the Civil Nuclear Constabulary. He has commanded armed UK police assets in America, France, Germany and Japan and was awarded an OBE for services to UK Nuclear Security in 2020.

PCC John Dwyer said: “After reviewing the Chief Constable’s performance, and the Constabulary’s too, I had no hesitation in offering the Chief an extension to his contract.

“We took up our posts at a similar time and from day one, via the Police and Crime Plan and my scrutiny process, I have been clear about what the public expect their police service to achieve. The Chief has been equally clear about the improvements he wants to drive across the Constabulary and how these have been delivered, with recent performance statistics speaking for themselves.

“Making Cheshire a hostile environment for criminals is an ambition shared by me and the entire leadership team, so I am just as pleased that Deputy Chief Constable Chris Armitt will also continue in his role.”

Chief Constable Mark Roberts said: “I am delighted that the PCC has offered this extension to my contract. From a personal perspective I am enjoying the role immensely with Cheshire Constabulary. It is great force to lead and to be part of, and from an organisational point of view this provides stability to continue the improvements we’ve already made and enables us to build on our future plans.

“I am equally delighted that Chris has agreed to extend his contract with us. He is one of the most experienced officers in the country and has been absolutely key in the improvements we’ve made in reducing crime and increasing the number of criminals brought to justice."