Mark retires having put Welsh policing under the spotlight

12 April 2021

The Police Federation’s Welsh affairs lead and former chair of the Dyfed Powys branch has retired from policing.

After 31 years of service, Mark Bleasdale has called time on his career.

He said: “It’s been an honour and a privilege to serve the people of Dyfed Powys as a police officer and my colleagues in Wales in my roles with the Police Federation of England and Wales.

“It’s been a fantastic journey, a challenging journey at times, but I’ve loved every moment.

“I hope that I’ve been able to help people and to make things better for colleagues along the way.

“I wish everyone in the Force, policing and the Federation all the very best – this is the best job in the world,” he added.

Mark’s first job was as a trainee solicitor, but he changed career because he wanted to deal with people.

He joined Dyfed Powys Police in 1990 and has been a Federation member since that date. He became a rep during a Force reorganisation because he felt the voice of chief inspectors was not being heard.

Mark was the Dyfed Powys Federation chair between October 2015 and October 2019 before being elected to the National Board as the Welsh lead.

The role involved leading on special considerations for Wales within the Federation and raising awareness of Welsh issues.

It also entailed building and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders in Wales including Welsh Government, chief officers in Wales, police and crime commissioners, other staff associations, Parliamentarians and think tanks.

Mark was the first Dyfed Powys Police officer to be elected to the National Board and only the second person to hold the position of Welsh lead.

He feels that raising the profile of policing issues in Wales was one of his key achievements in his role as Welsh lead.

Mark said: “People now stop to consider whether there might be a different ‘Welsh angle’ to an issue they’re dealing with, and I think this shows that we have really started the journey to full understanding.”

He will be succeeded by Nicky Ryan, former secretary of Gwent Police Federation and an officer since 1996.

Nicky has thanked Mark for his efforts to ensure a smooth hand-over and told him: “Enjoy your retirement. “Stay safe, healthy and well and enjoy every penny of your hard-earned pension. May you draw your pension for many years more than it has taken you to earn it.”