Nick Smart was elected as acting president of the association in October 2023, following the retirement of Chief Supt Paul Fotheringham.

Nick was promoted to the rank of superintendent in 2018, and has carried out a variety of operational roles in force, and in corporate projects. He has been a tactical firearms commander and is a silver public order commander. Nick is the A district chair for the PSA and was chair of West Yorkshire Police Federation branch for four years, during which time he spearheaded the ‘protect the protectors’ campaign and led work around legislation on assaults on emergency services workers. 

Nick will serve as acting president until a president is elected in January 2024, for the 2024-2027 term.

Superintendent Sara Crane has 29 year’s service, all with Devon & Cornwall Police, and has held a variety of roles as superintendent, including local policing commander in Cornwall, and most recently served as Cornwall partnership superintendent.
 
During the COVID-19 response, Sara was seconded to NPOCC as temporary chief superintendent, to lead Operation Talla (the NPCC response to COVID-19) Recovery, Reform and Learning Programme. Prior to joining the NPCC full-time, Sara worked on G7, working with partnerships to ensure impacts from G7 on daily business were mitigated. 

Sara was elected as the PSA’s gender inclusion lead in 2023, engaging with female PSA members to understand current issues and ensure they are heard at the appropriate forums and influence change. She was also secretary of Devon & Cornwall PSA Branch for four years before becoming branch chair in 2023.

She was elected as vice president of the association in January 2024, beginning her three-year term in March 2024.

Chief Superintendent Dan Murphy is a Kent police officer who has served in both uniform and detective positions at different ranks during his service. He has undertaken investigative, operational and organisational management roles. He has performed the roles of strategic firearms commander, senior investigating officer and authorising officer, which included being on the executive committee of the National Source Working Group.
 
 Dan was promoted to superintendent in February 2007 and in the same year took up a branch executive role that he held until his transfer to the position of national secretary (designate) in January 2017. Dan has been an active member of the Panel of Friends since 2009 and became the national secretary in July 2017.
 
 Dan is qualified in both a BA(Hons) degree in Business Studies and a Masters’ degree in Police Leadership and Management. He is married with three children and in his free time enjoys spending time with his family, cycling, skiing, cooking and DIY.

Lucy became the media and communications adviser for the Police Superintendents’ Association in March 2019.

Lucy has extensive experience in police communications, having worked for her home force, Suffolk Constabulary for seven years, working in a variety of roles within the Corporate Communications Department.  She specialised in internal communications and change communications, before becoming senior news officer, then corporate news manager, responsible for all operational, strategic and corporate communications on behalf of the force.
 
 She left Suffolk Constabulary to pursue a freelance career in 2016 and has since worked for a number of private and public sector clients providing PR and communications support.  She has continued to work in policing throughout her freelance career and through the Police Superintendents’ Association, is a member of the Association of Police Communicators. 

Kate Halpin served for 31 years with the Metropolitan Police.  She had a varied career serving primarily in investigative roles across south east London and a number of specialist departments including the Child Protection Major Inquiry Team, Professional Standards Department and the MPS’ Specialist Rape Command.  She was the first woman to be awarded a Fulbright Police Scholarship in 2000 to examine how different agencies in Los Angeles dealt with youth crime.  Kate also had a number of secondments with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office including eighteen months as the UK Chief Police Advisor in Iraq in 2008.

 

In 2015 she was appointed as the borough commander for Lewisham in south east London.   Kate joined the Panel of Friends in 2011 and has supported many 'at risk' colleagues.  In 2017 she was elected the branch secretary of the Met branch of the Police Superintendents' Association and was a member of the National Executive Committee for four years.

 

Kate was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for distinguished service in the 2021 New Years’ Honours.