Robert Mark
Sir Robert Mark | |
|---|---|
| Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police | |
| In office 1972–1977 | |
| Preceded by | Sir John Waldron |
| Succeeded by | David McNee |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 March 1917 |
| Died | 30 September 2010 (aged 93) |
| Profession | Police officer |
Sir Robert Mark, GBE, QPM (13 March 1917 - 30 September 2010) was an English former police officer who served as Chief Constable of Leicester City Police, and later as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police from 1972 to 1977.
Mark was the first Metropolitan Commissioner to have risen through all the ranks from the lowest to the highest (a route followed by all subsequent Commissioners), although a few predecessors had served as Constables prior to fast-track promotion. As Commissioner, he forced out many corrupt police officers and subsequently authored a book about his experiences.
As a teenager he was educated at William Hulme's Grammar School, Manchester.
After his retirement he appeared in television adverts for Goodyear tyres and his "I'm convinced they're a major contribution to road safety" became a widely used catchphrase.
His appointment as a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) was announced in 1976,[1] and he was appointed as a Knight of the Order of Saint John in 1978.[2] Also in 1976, Mark traveled to the United States to chair a conference designed to assist the Washington, DC-based Police Foundation in setting up the Police Executive Research Forum, a think tank devoted to training police executives and improving management practices.[citation needed]
References
- Mark, Sir Robert (1977). Policing a Perplexed Society, 3-132p. 23 cm. London: Allen and Unwin ISBN 0043630065, ISBN 0043630057
- Review by Doreen McBarnet of Policing a Perplexed Society by Robert Mark and A Force for the Future by Roy Lewis. British Journal of Law and Society, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Winter 1977), pages 286-288
- ^ "No. 47102". The London Gazette (7th supplement). 30 December 1976.
- ^ "No. 47705". The London Gazette. 5 December 1978.
External links
- Metropolitan Police—timeline 1970–1989
- History & Policy - "Policing the Windrush generation", by James Whitfield states that "Sir Robert Mark was a lone dissenting voice in pointing out that the real reason why so few minority ethnic applicants applied to join the police was because they knew that they would be unwelcome."
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