biography
David John Hatcher
David is 59 years of age and has served for 31 years in Kent Constabulary including a
secondment to the Metropolitan Police, before being appointed to the role of Area Commander
for the South East of England with British Transport Police, then Director of People Development
for the Force.
As a junior officer, David was a police frogman for 5 years, a police firearms officer and uniform
patrol officer. 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 command posts he was a specialist firearms and public order commander
with Kent Police, and a cardre commander involved with anti-terrorism and major public order and
incident management with the BTP nationally.
For 15 years he was the regular police presenter on BBC Crimewatch UK and has appeared in well over 300
television programmes representing the British Police Service.
He has experience of policing major incidents which include the Herald of Free Enterprise Ferry Disaster,
major flooding, snow, hurricane damage, industrial disorder and animal rights policing duties. More recently
he attended Ladbroke Grove and Potters Bar rail disasters, as well as a number of rail fatalities and
central London public order incidents. He has been a regular speaker at various courses at the National
Emergency Planning College since 1998.
A married man with two sons he lives in Kent he is now a self employed management consultant specialising
in people development and media matters.
Former Chief Superintendent British Transport Police
and Kent Police
