Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Jun 05, 2025

Scotland Yard's Senior-Most Indian Origin Officer Speaks Out Against Racism

Scotland Yard's Senior-Most Indian Origin Officer Speaks Out Against Racism

Neil Basu, in his last interview at the end of a 30-year career, has spoken about his concerns around racism within UK police ranks and Home Office
Neil Basu, the senior-most Indian-origin Scotland Yard officer and the United Kingdom's former counter-terrorism chief, who, at one point, was even tipped for the top job as the head of the UK's largest police force, has spoken out against racism and revealed how he faced racist attacks as a schoolboy in the 1970s.

In his final interview at the end of a 30-year policing career with the Metropolitan Police, outgoing Assistant Commissioner Mr Basu told 'Channel 4 News' about his concerns around racism within the police ranks and its overseeing authority - the Home Office.

The son of a Bengali doctor father from Kolkata and Welsh mother, Mr Basu was born and brought up in the UK and has been with the Met Police through some of its most high-profile counter-terrorism operations.

"I've been the only non-white face as a chief officer for a very long time. I don't think the Home Office cares about this subject at all," Mr Basu told 'Channel 4 News' today.

When pointed out that the Home Office is run by a woman of Indian heritage, Suella Braverman, Mr Basu said he found some of the commentary coming out of the department, including around plans to deport illegal migrants to Rwanda, as "inexplicable".

"It is unbelievable to hear a succession of very powerful politicians who look like this, talking in language that my father would have remembered from 1968, it's horrific," he said, with reference to the racism his mixed-race couple parents faced in England when he was a child.

"A mixed-race couple walking through the streets in the 1960s, stoned ... I was beaten in the 1970s for being a mixed-race kid in an all-white school in an all-white area. I speak about race because I know something about race because I am a 54-year-old mixed-race man ... this is an under-represented issue," he said.

The UK Home Office said in a statement: "The Home Secretary expects forces to take a zero tolerance approach to racism within their workplace.

"But she is also very clear about the need to manage our borders effectively and have an asylum system that works for those in genuine need, as are the British people."

Mr Basu, as Assistant Commissioner, has also been in charge of the security for high-profile public figures, including the British royal family, and revealed how Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, faced many "disgusting and very real" threats as the wife of Prince Harry in the UK.

"If you'd seen the stuff that was written and you were receiving it, the kind of rhetoric that's online, if you don't know what I know, you would feel under threat all of the time," he said.

When asked if there had been genuine threats to the Duchess from the far-right, he added: "Absolutely. We had teams investigating it. People have been prosecuted for those threats."

The royal couple have since stepped back from frontline royalty and relocated to the United States with their two children and Prince Harry has spoken about the security concerns for his family in the UK.

Mr Basu said he has spoken publicly about the threat of "extreme right-wing terrorism" in the country because it is the "fastest growing" threat that he dealt with as a counter-terrorism officer.

"When I started in counter-terrorism in 2015, it was about 6 per cent of our total workload. When I left 15, 16 months ago, it was over 20 per cent of our workload," he revealed.

The police officer, who is stepping down after 30 years with the Met, spoke of the "profound mental and physical effect" his work had, but felt pride in overseeing 29 terrorist plots being foiled. He also admitted the force was "in crisis" following recent damaging revelations around corrupt and criminal Met Police officers, but said the newCommissioner, Mark Rowley, was cracking down on the issue.

On being turned down for some of the top crime-fighting jobs, including most recently as head of the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA), Mr Basu said: "I would surmise that it is because I have been outspoken about issues that do not fit with the current political administration. They are wrong, diversity and inclusion are two of the most important things for policing."
Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Global News Roundup: From Ukraine's strategic military strikes and Russia's demands and Tensions Escalate in Ukraine, to serious legal issues faced by Britons in Bali and Trump's media criticism, the latest developments highlight a turbulent landscape
Majority of French Voters View Macron's Presidency as a Failure
Hungary Partners with China to Boost Electric Vehicle Production
‘Vibe Coding’ Emerges as the New DIY Trend
AI Pioneer Yoshua Bengio Warns Models Can Deceive Users
Big Four Firms Rush to Create AI Auditing Systems
Musk’s xAI Pursues $113 Billion Valuation in New Share Sale
Walmart Increases Revenue Despite Shrinking Workforce
Hims & Hers Plans UK and EU Launch of Replica Obesity Drugs
Toyota to Acquire Supplier in $33 Billion Buyout
U.S. Reduces Military Presence in Syria
Trump Demands Iran End All Uranium Enrichment in Nuclear Talks
China Accuses US of Violating Trade Truce
Panama Port Owner Balances US-China Pressures
France Implements Nationwide Outdoor Smoking Ban to Protect Children
German Chancellor Merz Keeps Putin Guessing on Missile Strategy
Mandelson Criticizes UK's 'Fetish' for Abandoning EU Regulations
British Fishing Boat Owner Fined €30,000 by French Authorities
Dutch government falls as far-right leader Wilders quits coalition
Harvard Urges US to Unfreeze Funds for Public Health Research
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Researchers Consider New Destinations Beyond the U.S.
53-Year-Old Doctor Claims Biological Age of 23
Trump Struggles to Secure Trade Deals With China and Europe
Russia to Return 6,000 Corpses Under Ukraine Prisoner Swap Deal
Microsoft Lays Off Hundreds More Amid Restructuring
Harvey Weinstein’s Publicist Embraces Notoriety
Macron and Meloni Seek Unity Despite Tensions
Trump Administration Accused of Obstructing Deportation Cases
Newark Mayor Sues Over Arrest at Immigration Facility
Center-Left Candidate Projected to Win South Korean Presidency
Trump’s Tariffs Predicted to Stall Global Economic Growth
South Korea’s President-Elect Expected to Take Softer Line on Trump and North Korea
Trump’s China Strategy Remains a Geopolitical Puzzle
Ukraine Executes Long-Range Drone Strikes on Russian Airbases
Conservative Karol Nawrocki wins Poland’s presidential election
Study Identifies Potential Radicalization Risk Among Over One Million Muslims in Germany
Good news: Annalena Baerbock Elected President of the UN General Assembly
Apple Appeals EU Law Over User Data Sharing Requirements
South Africa: "First Black Bank" Collapses after Being Looted by Owners
Poland will now withdraw from the EU migration pact after pro-Trump nationalist wins Election
"That's Disgusting, Don’t Say It Again": The Trump Joke That Made the President Boil
Trump Cancels NASA Nominee Over Democratic Donations
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OnlyFans for Sale: From Lockdown Lifeline to Eight-Billion-Dollar Empire
Mayor’s Security Officer Implicated | Shocking New Details Emerge in NYC Kidnapping Case
Hegseth Warns of Potential Chinese Military Action Against Taiwan
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Jamie Dimon Warns U.S. Bond Market Faces Pressure from Rising Debt
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
×