Constabulary donates £20,000 to Cheshire Crimebeat ahead of Coordinator's retirement

Chief Constable Mark Roberts has donated £20,000 to registered charity Cheshire Crimebeat on behalf of the Constabulary ahead of Coordinator Mark Watson’s retirement.

Formed in 1998, Cheshire Crimebeat is a registered charity which supports the young people of Cheshire to get involved with crime prevention, community safety or citizenship projects in their local communities.

Cheshire Crimebeat has been supported by the Constabulary from its inception and, for the past ten years, funds taken from the Police Property Fund and Misuse of Drugs Act Fund have gone directly to the charity to back its initiatives.

On Wednesday 27 May, 28 years after Crimebeat’s conception, Chief Constable Mark Roberts presented Coordinator Mark Watson MBE with a cheque for £20,000 to further support the charity over the course of the year and into 2027.

The presentation coincided with another special event, the retirement of Mark Watson.

Mark has over four decades-worth of experience working alongside Cheshire communities, having originally joined the Cheshire Constabulary as a Constable in 1982. As a former Inspector, whilst working within the force’s Hate Crime and Community units, Mark also went on to win a number of national awards for his diversity and inclusion work, particularly in respect of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

Following Mark’s retirement, he became Crimebeat’s Coordinator in 2014 and has gone on to help the charity support over 7,100 projects county wide, including that of the Mini Police – a project that sees children aged between 8 and 11 getting involved in local policing and community initiatives in their area.

He was also awarded an MBE for his services to Community Policing in the Queen’s 2019 Birthday Honours.

Mark Watson MBE said:

“Thank you so much to Chief Constable Roberts for this amazingly generous donation to Cheshire Crimebeat once again. Mr Roberts has been a wonderful supporter of Crimebeat for many years, which is very much appreciated. The money will be used for the benefit of young people all over Cheshire.  

“My retirement after forty-three and a half years’ service as a Cheshire Officer and Police Staff member seems hard to believe. I think I can’t bring myself to admit I’ve been here that long.

“I was one of those people who didn’t know what they wanted to do for a living when I was growing up, and I decided I wanted to do something to help other people and my local communities during my working life, and hopefully make a positive difference. 

"I made the best choice in joining the Cheshire Constabulary and I could not have asked for a better career than the one I’ve had. I’m going to remain a Volunteer for the force, so will hopefully be still around for a while yet."

Chief Constable Mark Roberts said:

“I have known Mark for a number of years, and his passion and dedication to serving the people of Cheshire is unrivalled. I would like to thank him for his many years of service, both within the Constabulary as a serving officer and as Crimebeat’s Coordinator.

“The work of Crimebeat is equally invaluable. It helps enable the young people of the county to channel their energy into something positive.

“Whether through local community outreach projects, sporting initiatives, or providing worthwhile pastimes, these all help our young people develop vital life skills and build relationships with others like them, their communities, and their local police officers.

“It seems only fitting, then, to present this cheque for £20,000 to Crimebeat to help them continue in their mission of engaging with our young people over the course of the next year, and to Mark as one final thank you from me and the wider Constabulary for all the work he has done over so many years.”