David Hatcher

David's career in policing saw him rise to the rank of Chief Superintendent before retiring from policing in 2004. He served 34 years in Kent Police including a secondment to the Metropolitan Police, then a further 5yrs with British Transport Police, appointed as Area Commander for the South East of England, then Head of People Development for the Force. As a junior officer, David was a police frogman, a police firearms officer and uniform patrol officer (8yrs). On promotion to Inspector he specialised in police media relations for 4 years, instigating the National Media Training Programme for police officers, before it was adopted at the Police Staff College Bramshill. Having held many operational Area Command and other command posts he was a specialist firearms and public order commander with Kent Police, and a cardre commander for anti-terrorism, major public order and CBRN incident management with the British Transport Police nationally. Experience of policing major incidents included • Herald of Free Enterprise Ferry Disaster, • major flooding, snow, hurricane damage, • industrial disorder and animal rights policing duties. • Ladbroke Grove and Potters Bar rail disasters, as well as a number of rail fatalities and central London public order and terrorism incidents. For 16 years he was the regular police presenter on BBC Crimewatch UK and has appeared in well over 300 television programmes representing the British Police. He has been a regular speaker at the National Emergency Planning College since 1998. Starting his own business (Promise Development UK Ltd) in 2004, David specialised in people development, media training and emergency planning training. He was an Associate Lecturer for the National Emergency Planning College between 2004 and 2011, running courses both on and offsite for the Cabinet Office. A Rotarian since 1990 (Rotary Club of Medway), David organised charity fundraising for local and international beneficiaries. He founded and organised holidays for youngsters with disabilities and between 2009-21 a scheme providing Disney holidays for families from children’s hospices. David volunteered at Demelza Hospice for Children and was an ambassador for both that and ellenor Childrens Hospice in Kent. Following the Asian Tsunami in 2004, David undertook charity reconstruction work in Sri Lanka then delivering aid as a humanitarian volunteer for ShelterBox (15yrs). He volunteered in Haiti, the Philippines, Brazil, Vanuatu, Nepal and Niger.