New branch chair 'privileged' to work on behalf of members
9 June 2026
The new chair of the West Mercia Police Federation says he wants to build a stronger, more collaborative relationship with the Force for the benefit of members.
Sergeant Gareth Spreadbury said he was ‘over the moon’ after being elected to what he described as ‘a really privileged position’.
Gareth said: “I feel elated to be able to take on this role and help take the Federation forward.
“My goal is to be open, transparent, and communicative, and to work with the Force to drive things forward together.
“We’re all trying to do the right thing for the right reasons, so the more we work together to achieve that, the better it is for everybody.
Sergeant Gareth Spreadbury
“The people in the organisation are what make it, and none of us is as important as all of us.
“I want people to know that I, as the chair, and we, as the Federation, will always do the right thing for the right reasons for them and the organisation, no matter how tall the task or how hard the climb.”
Gareth was voted in on Friday (5 June 2026) and described his first few days as ‘a bit of a whirlwind’.
But he believes his 16 years of policing experience, combined with previous experience in hospitality and operations management before joining the service, and a recent BTEC Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership, provide him a strong foundation.
Strategy
He continued: “When it comes to the business and strategy side of things, I’m confident I can take that on. The rest I’ll learn as I go.”
A key priority for Gareth will be continuing to champion neurodiversity in policing, drawing on his own experiences following his ADHD diagnosis.
He hopes his appointment will encourage more neurodivergent officers to engage with the Federation and feel represented.
“Seeing someone with ADHD get to a position of privilege and influence is not something you hear about a lot,” he said.
“If it encourages people to come forward and engage with us, then that can only be a good thing.”
Gareth’s passion for improving understanding of neurodiversity stems from challenges he faced during his own career.
He spent five years as a Special in Gwent before moving to West Midlands Police, where he spent three years as a PC and five as a response sergeant.
ADHD diagnosis
However, after moving to West Mercia Police ‘to find a quieter life' for his family, he struggled to understand why he often felt different from colleagues.
“I didn't really feel like I was fitting in,” he said.
“I didn't realise I fitted in until I had an ADHD diagnosis, and it kind of changed my world, how I view it, how I view myself and the police, and how the police view me.
“It changed my life for the better, because for the first time I didn’t have to apologise for being me. I started to understand who I really was.
“After 40 years of being the person other people wanted you to be, whether that’s the comedian, the supporter, the operational leader, I now understand who I wanted to be.”
His experience sparked a desire to improve awareness of neurodiversity in policing. He also wanted to ensure organisations make the most of the skills and perspectives of neurodivergent people.
Gareth said: “It inspired me to help change organisations’ views on neurodiversity.
Neurodiversity
“That people can be different and, actually, we don't want to put square pegs in round holes.
“Let's look at the person, treat them as individuals, use them for the best of their abilities and recognise that we are all different, but we're working towards the same goal.
“An organisation, particularly as big as policing, needs different ideas, different perspectives, different outlooks.
“And we’ve got to look after our people for the organisation to succeed.”
Gareth, who has been a Fed rep for just over a year, said his lived experience has helped him support members in his Federation role.
He said: “I can see a lot of the pitfalls that I’ve experienced.
"My role is to support members but also to help the organisation understand where things could be improved.
“Sometimes it's about helping both sides understand each other and making sure issues don't escalate.”
