New police Federation chief named
West Mercia Police Federation has named its new chairman.
Barry Horton formally takes office at the organisation that represents the force's 2,500 rank and file officers on May 1.
Mr Horton, who joined the police 18 years ago and now works in CID, began his Federation career in 2013.
He takes over from interim chair Pete Nightingale who took over from former chair Sarah Cooper.
He said: “It is, of course, an honour to be selected as branch chair and I am looking forward to getting on with the job and representing West Mercia Police officers.
“I’ve always taken notice of what the Home Office does or doesn’t do for policing and this feels like a natural step.
“Above all else, I am here to help our members. It has been a tumultuous time for policing pretty much since I joined the service and there is lots of work to do.”
Barry has backed Police Federation demands for a complete overhaul of the police pay system.
“Officers deserve a pay rise yearly and that goes without saying it seems that people forget that we’re also humans and life costs go up and we need to be able to afford to live,” he said.
Barry joined the police in 2005. He has worked in CID and will continue in that role until taking up his full-time Federation role.
