10/09/2026
NEWS | From Truncheon to Squeegee: 👮♂️➡️🧽🪟
After more than 20 years in policing, Gareth King swapped the beat for the window-cleaning round — and hasn't looked back.
A former Hereford police sergeant has traded his truncheon for a squeegee and built a window-cleaning business called GK Window Cleaning with more than 500 regular customers.
Gareth King spent more than two decades wearing a police uniform, working to protect communities across Herefordshire and beyond.
Today, he can usually be found behind the wheel of his sign-written van, armed with a water-fed pole rather than a police radio, as he visits homes across Hereford as the owner of GK Window Cleaning.
It is an unlikely career change — but one which Gareth says has gone from a simple idea to a thriving local business.
From Special Constable to Sergeant
Gareth's policing career began in 2002 when he joined West Mercia Police as a Special Constable, volunteering his spare time to help keep the local community safe.
Three years later, he became a full-time police officer with South Wales Police, before returning to Herefordshire in 2010.
In 2011, Gareth was promoted to Sergeant and went on to undertake a number of roles with West Mercia Police, including Patrol Sergeant and Custody Sergeant.
However, much of his career was spent as the Neighbourhood Policing Sergeant for Hereford City, putting him firmly at the heart of the local community.
In 2019, Gareth transferred to the Ministry of Defence Police, where he trained as a Fi****ms Officer.
But while working for the MOD Police, Gareth was unknowingly laying the foundations for his next career.
It all started with a few windows
The idea came about after friends and family told Gareth they were struggling to find a window cleaner they could rely on.
“I was working in the MOD Police when friends and family complained to me that they were struggling to find a reliable and trustworthy window cleaner in the area,” said Gareth.
“So, after a lot of research, I bought the latest window-cleaning equipment and began cleaning my friends' and family's windows on my days off.”
What began as a part-time venture quickly gathered momentum.
Word spread, and Gareth soon found himself receiving requests from people across Hereford.
“It wasn't long before I had built up quite a number of customers and I was having to turn new people away,” he said.
20 years — and a big decision
In 2025, Gareth reached an important milestone, completing 20 years of full-time police service.
He was awarded his 20-Year Long Service and Good Conduct Medal, marking two decades of dedicated service.
But reaching that milestone also prompted Gareth to think seriously about his future.
“Once I had completed the milestone of 20 years full-time in the police, I thought to myself, why not give the window cleaning a go full-time?”
And that was the moment Gareth decided to take the plunge.
He left the police and turned his part-time window-cleaning operation into a full-time business.
From 0 to 500 customers
The gamble appears to have paid off.
“Since leaving the police, the window cleaning has gone from strength to strength,” said Gareth.
“I now have 500 regular customers and over 100 five-star reviews on Google.”
Despite the dramatic change in careers, Gareth believes the principles he learned during his time in policing have remained at the centre of his business.
“I have brought many qualities with me from my time in the police. I am punctual, polite and always in uniform.”
Professionalism and reliability are also important to Gareth, who operates a cashless business using a secure payment system.
“We are a cashless business and I use a secure payment system to take payments only after the work is complete.
“I am reliable, diligent and I believe in getting it right first time for my customers.”
A different kind of service
After spending 20 years responding to incidents, patrolling the streets and serving the public, Gareth's working day now looks very different.
But his reason for doing the job remains familiar: providing a service that people can trust.
From helping keep the streets of Hereford safe to helping keep its windows sparkling, Gareth King's career may have taken an unexpected turn.
For this former police sergeant, the beat has simply been replaced by a window-cleaning round.
And judging by the 500 customers who now rely on him, it's a career change that's proving to be anything but a wipeout.
