Janet Hills: MET BPA appoints first female leader

The Metropolitan Black Police Association made a historic decision last week by appointing the first woman to its chair since its formation in 1994. Janet Hills persevered through obstacles before rising up to her current position and is delighted to be leading the association.

In an interview with The Voice, Hills said:

Up until now, it has been a boys' club. Having a woman as MetBPA chair represents a change of mindset. I think as a woman, I can have a wider viewpoint and a more inclusive outlook."

The former MetBPA chair and retired Police Superintendent, Leroy Logan also understands how the change is a step towards breaking the glass ceiling:

I think having a female chair is well timed, historic, and an opportunity for a renaissance of the MetBPA in terms of its profile and impact."

Born to Jamaican parents, Hills opened up about the racism she faced as an officer when she started over two decades ago:

A lot of it was indirect by the way of name-calling by colleagues. Also, you always seemed to be underperforming when you were working at the same level - if not a better level than your white colleagues - and your annual appraisals would be marked down without any real explanation given."

The MetBPA was established to provide assistance to black police staff and officers within the Metropolitan Police Service who are mistreated in the workplace. The association also strives towards improving the police and community relations fractured by recent high-profile abuse cases.

The South London native said:

The community doesn't forget the Notting Hill Riots [of 1958], and everything that happened since, is still fresh in their memory, and when the police do something wrong, that has an adverse effect. The attitude is: 'They are always going to be like that, they will never change', when actually there is change, slow though it may be."

Hills said her aims for the MetBPA is to campaign against the unjust Stop and Search policies, work with the youth in the community to raise future leaders and continue to help members fight for better working conditions.

She is determined to resolve the black community’s mistrust of the police through an outreach programme that will closely examine how the police are interacting with the public. She said:

Knowledge is power. Every single person should know their rights. If people know their rights when they are stopped by the police and know how to complain when they are unhappy or they feel they are being victimised, it will speed up change.”

Nilay Tuncok