Steve Hartshorn has been elected as the new chair of the Police Federation.

His election follows a vote among the membership nationwide.

He said: “I feel incredibly honoured to have been elected the next national chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales. 

“I would like to acknowledge the hard work of Brian Booth and Ché Donald for standing as candidates and running very strong campaigns - they have my respect for being professional throughout. 

“My sincere thanks goes to everyone who voted for me, from the National Council nomination stage to the membership for getting involved in the vote. The level of support and encouragement I have received has helped me through the process and means a great deal to me.  

“I am looking forward to working with the National Council, the National Board and our members to seek the very best we can for policing, and with support, I genuinely believe we can make our voices heard to secure a better deal for policing.” 

Geoff Bardell, chair of Hertfordshire Police Federation, has joined those congratulating Steve on his new role.

“Steve will be taking up the reins at the Police Federation in one of the most challenging times in its history,” says Geoff, “Members are demoralised, in part due to the shocking way in which police officers have been treated by this Government, and we need to see that change.

“The new chair will start in post tomorrow and I am sure he will hit the ground running in terms of leading the Federation, representing members’ views and seeking to secure a fairer deal for police officers.”

Steve joined the Metropolitan Police in 1995, before moving to the Met’s Firearms Command. He became a Federation rep because he wanted to help colleagues who were going through a difficult time.

The new chair begins his three-year term of office today (1 April).