David Hartley: Former Sheffield police chief announces retirement after 33 years fighting crime
A former Sheffield police chief who has been fighting crime for 33 years has announced his retirement.
Assistant Chief Constable David Hartley was recruited by South Yorkshire Police as a young bobby on the beat based out of West Bar police station back in 1991.
He quickly rose through the ranks.
He was appointed as Sheffield’s District Commander in 2011, where he was responsible for overseeing the policing of the entire city.
He was later promoted to South Yorkshire Police’s ‘senior leadership team’ as Assistant Chief Constable, helping to run the force.
During his career he became a hostage and crisis negotiator, a firearms commander and a public order commander.
He also had responsibility for neighbourhood policing.
The police chief said being part of the effort “to put away, for a long time, those who criminally carry and use guns” had motiovated him.
Reflecting upon his career, ACC Hartley said: “When I look back over my 33 years with South Yorkshire Police, my overwhelming feeling is one of pride in the force, its people and what they deliver every day. I also have a real sense of gratitude to the organisation and everyone I have worked with, as both have such an influence on the person you grow to be.
“I am so pleased I never left the force. The sense of continuity and being part of something is so much more powerful when the county is both your home and where you deliver policing - it seems to matter a bit more. I look forward to being a benefactor of local policing now, rather than consumed in service delivery, and of course that will give me ample opportunity to start sentences with ‘in my day we would have...’
Commenting on how policing had changed over the years, he said: “It has been interesting to watch how policing has changed over the years, and to be a part of this change. I remember back in the day, we used to go out on patrol with a blue shirt, a freezing nylon jacket, no body armour, no taser, no CS gas, no baton and no quick cuffs. It seems we’ve come a long way since then.
“There is much I will miss, and a fair bit I won’t miss at all.
“Perhaps the biggest void will be the people, the fun, and the good humour. That’s what keeps this job going. This job can make extraordinary demands on you, and during these times we really look to rely on our friends and colleagues for support.
“As I sign off it really is that sense of gratitude I leave with. A brilliant career, with brilliant people and a job that you never stop growing, learning and improving in - and I have certainly never been bored!”