MARK Botham’s never been afraid to ruffle a few feathers and from a journalist’s point of view was always good for a quote. However comparing current Home Secretary Theresa May to Adolf Hitler, surely that’s a step too far?

“You won’t dare print this, but if you watch Hitler speaking at the Nuremburg rallies,” he says. I laugh at the potential comparison, interrupting Mr Botham, which leads him to clarify his point. “I don’t like her, but I’m not comparing her or her politics to Hitler, it’s the style of delivery.” He’s referring to the Home Secretary’s speech at the Police Federation’s annual meeting in May when she talked about forcing change on the federation only to be met with stony silence.

It’s typical of the man that even after retiring from North Yorkshire Police in June he continues to shoot from the hip.

“If you ask the majority of police officers they will say she [Theresa May] has been the worst Home Secretary ever. She said she would stand up for the police service, but I don’t believe she has,” he says.

A third generation police officer, Mr Botham spent 30 years with North Yorkshire Police, 20 years as a sergeant. Aged 49 and a father-of-four originally from Hull, he was a police federation rep for 19 years and spent ten as chairman of the county branch. He and his wife Julie, whose background is in the charity sector, now run their own company, Botham Solutions which provides training, a health and safety consultancy and advises on matters such as police pensions.

Keen to get his views on policing issues and adopting a scattergun approach I put him on the spot on a number of topics. He’s an engaging interviewee, lacing his answers with a deadpan humour, and at one stage mistakenly describes his “tenure as chief constable”, before quickly realising his slip and adding: “I wish”.

So would he recommend the police to young people as a potential career?

“Yes, without hesitation. It is still the best job in the world,” he says. You join to make a difference which is what I tried to do. Policing is very simple – look after the nice people and lock the bad people up.”

MARK BOTHAM’S VIEWS…

On his police federation replacement Mike Stubbs

“He’s a sound pair of hands and hopefully he will be able to build bridges with those people I didn’t see eye to eye with.”

On Police and Crime Commissioners

“They haven’t been a resounding success. They are too unaccountable as the Police and Crime Panels - who supposedly scrutinise them - have no power.”

On ‘ruffling feathers’ while chairman of the North Yorkshire Police Federation

“It goes with the territory of standing up for your members. You can’t afford to be a shrinking violet, not that I am one.”

On current North Yorkshire Police chief constable Dave Jones

“I waited 30 years for a decent chief constable and got one just as I was retiring. I cannot praise the guy enough. It’s a good appointment.”

On former chief constable Grahame Maxwell – the first chief constable to face gross misconduct charges in more than 30 years

“My personal opinion is Grahame Maxwell should have gone much earlier, but he went through a legal process which he was entitled to do.”

On fast tracking candidates into top policing positions without any direct experience

“There has to be a half way house - nobody has a monopoly on knowledge, ideas and expertise - but I believe everybody should have some policing experience. It is unrealistic to expect the police service to run just like any other business. Policing is a vocation not a notch on someone’s CV.”

On spending cuts

“If you keep cutting you will reap the consequences and crime will go up. The workload hasn’t gone down and stress will increase. Something will have to give. I just hope that a police officer or a member of police staff is not killed as a result.”

On potential mergers between police forces

“It’s inevitable because of the pressure on funding. There are still savings to be made and one of the biggest is we don’t need 43 chief constables and 43 Police and Crime Commissioners.”

On police forces not recording crime properly

“If you create a performance culture, people will manipulate figures. I don’t condone it, but that’s what happens. Should the public be worried? Of course they should. You can’t cut cops and still see crime go down unless you are not recording it right.”

On the introduction of mandatory fitness tests for officers

“I think it’s marvellous, now I have retired.”