Steve Hartshorn holds one of the most influential roles in policing. He’s Chair of the Police Federation, the biggest police staff organisation in England and Wales, which represents over 130,000 constables, sergeants and inspectors.
PC Hartshorn joined the Metropolitan Police 27 years ago after a spell as a Special Constable. He served as the Federation’s lead on firearms and Taser and was elected Chair in April, beating off competition from two other candidates.
In his first interview since taking up the role, he spoke to Policing TV’s Chief Presenter, Danny Shaw, at the Federation’s annual conference in Manchester. They discussed his background in the police, the culture of the service, misconduct inquiries - and the cost of living crisis: