International Women’s Day: Fed’s national deputy chair recalls her breast cancer diagnosis

8 March 2023

On International Women’s Day, Tiff Lynch, the first female deputy chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, shares her inspiring story.

Tiff Lynch joined Leicestershire Police as an 18-year-old at a time when the Force didn’t usually admit anyone under 21. 

It was clear from that day back in 1995 that she would have an exciting career ahead of her. 

Her roles in the Force have included: beat officer, response driver, tactical support group, informant handling and firearms. 

Tiff first sought help from the Police Federation of England and Wales when she needed them most, progressed to chair of the Leicestershire branch and has since progressed to become deputy chair of the national Federation, working closely with chair Steve Hartshorn. 

But Tiff’s biggest challenge came after she was flicking through Twitter one night and found a tweet from Sky Sports News presenter Jacquie Baltrao encouraging women to self-check for cancerous lumps. Tiff immediately found two of them and began a battle which put her career firmly on the backburner. 

On International Women’s Day 2023, this is Tiff’s story.