Mark Cleland
Superintendent - British Transport Police
As a qualified Astrophysicist Mark took his experience to the British Transport Police for a career in Policing. Throughout his career Mark has had a broad range of adventures including working with the Drug Enforcement Administration in the USA, riots in London, protecting royalty, flying in helicopters and bringing Piccadilly Circus to a standstill through no fault of his own, Mark has worked in areas such as response Policing, Operational Support, Neighbourhood Policing, CID and was the presenter of ITV Wales Crimestoppers for 3 years. Never one to shy away from a challenge, he became a candidate for the European Space Agency Astronaut programme and has the rejection letter to prove it. With 3 titanium plates holding his skull together following an assault during arrest, Mark knows full well the dangers of Policing and what as a leader his role is in keeping people safe. Mark is still a trained response driver and Taser carrier to show that even senior leaders are still operational Police Officers.
Mark has worked on a number of key areas including Acquisitive Crime, Mental Health, Criminal Justice Solutions, Violent Crime, innovation and marginal gains theory to improve police performance and confidence. Most recently Mark is the Sub Divisional Commander for BTP Western, is a Bronze, Silver and Gold commander and is involved in the planning and delivery of major events such as the G7 summit. Mark is the UK lead for Cycle Crime and the tactical lead for Metal and Catalytic Converter Crime.
Mark developed the idea of the National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership after realising that there was a gap in support for those organisations that keep the country running. He believes in talk is only as good as the positive action it delivers and has a propensity for quoting Star Wars to inspire those around him. Do or Do not. There is no try.
In 1977, Mark appeared on Multi Coloured Swap Shop where he swapped a 6’ tall Papier Mache tyrannosaurus Rex for a bag of stamps and sent them to the Blue Peter Stamp appeal. He’s still waiting for his Blue Peter Badge but it taught him to do the right thing and look out for those that need it. A view on life he shares with you through this work.