New national chair for PFEW

Mr Hartshorn was one of three candidates that members were able to vote for, the other two being West Yorkshire chair Brian Booth, and national vice-chair Ché Donald. More than 15,000 votes were cast.

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

“I believe there is an overall lack of communication and disconnect between the members, the National Board and the Chair’s office. I will bring unity and transparency to the work of everyone within the PFEW and be open to change for a better future. As Chair, I am determined to be an integral working part of the National Council and National Board that strives to hold the Government, IOPC, College of Policing and other stakeholders to account. We are good at representing and negotiating and have influenced many areas of policing, but I recognise that we can do better.

“The Government does not allow PFEW any legal powers in relation to pay or pension discussions. I want negotiation rights and binding arbitration that ensure policing gets a fair deal. We need a sustainable long-term funding strategy to allow for real improvements in officer’s personal and professional lives.

“Police officers must be treated fairly and allowed to do our job free from party politics and a severe lack of funding. If the Government cannot do that, we should look at what employment  conditions there could be for police officers to allow for fair and balanced settlements.

I will be the national chair that listens and communicates effectively as a unified voice for the officers we represent. I recognised early on how effective and important the Pension Challenge was and quickly signed up. I’ve always been and remain an individual to stand up for what’s right. I will listen to the membership and be realistic about what can be done to move forward as one voice.

“We should never be divided again. I don’t make promises that I can’t keep, so my promise to you is to do the very best I can to understand and advocate for your interests. I am determined to make the thin blue line stronger and win back trust in the PFEW.

“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.”

He will begin his new role from tomorrow, Friday April 1.