On 26th September, the Metropolitan Black Police Association (MetBPA) celebrated its 20th Anniversary. Detective Sergeant Janet Hills – its first female Chair – talks to Black History Month about the MetBPA, its history, its future, and why the Met needs to increase diversity policing in London.
BHM: It’s the 20th Anniversary of the MetBPA. Can you please tell us a little bit about the history and objectives of the MetBPA?
JH: I’ve been in the post since 28th May 2013. We have had eight male Chairs since conception; we have all been made up of different ranks and police staff grades. The MetBPA has been involved with so many ground breaking events over the years. The Macpherson Report allowed us to give a submission from both the community’s point of view as well as from the police’s. As we all came from the Black community, we were able to give a lot of ‘added value’ when it comes to looking at diversity in policing in the broader sense. This was very insightful to the panel, as were the Morris Inquiry in 2004 that looked at the issues of unfairness and race inequality in the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). The Race and Faith Inquiry also covered similar issues.