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Scotland Yard’s first black police officer rails against Met racism<!-- wp:html --><div> <h2>‘I write about 1967 and it’s the same in 2022’: Scotland Yard’s first black police officer, who wrote about horrific racist abuse he faced by force in the 60s, urges new Met boss to be ‘bold’ for to exterminate racists</h2> <p><strong>Norwell Roberts was racially abused while working at Bow Street police station</strong><br /> Amalgamated to Charing Cross – center of a scandal over via WhatsApps<br /> Sir. Roberts called for a zero-tolerance approach to officer misconduct </p> <p class="author-section byline-plain">By Rory Tingle, Domestic Correspondent for Mailonline </p> <p class="byline-section"><span class="article-timestamp article-timestamp-published"> <span class="article-timestamp-label">Published:</span> 16:14, 7 October 2022 </span> | <span class="article-timestamp article-timestamp-updated"> <span class="article-timestamp-label">Up to date:</span> 16:14, 7 October 2022 </span> </p> <p> <!-- ad: https://mads.dailymail.co.uk/v8/gb/news/none/article/other/para_top.html --> <!-- CWV --><!--[if !IE]>>--> <!-- <!--[if IE]>--></p> <p> <!--[if !IE]>>--> <!--<!--[if IE]>--></p> <p> <!--[if !IE]>>--> <!--<!--[if gte IE 8]>>--> <!-- <!--[if IE 8]>--></p> <p> <!--[if IE 9]>--></p> <p> <!--[if IE]>--></p> <p> <!--[if !IE]> --> <!--</p> <p> <!-- SiteCatalyst code version: H.20.3. Copyright 1997-2009 Omniture, Inc. More info available at http://www.omniture.com --> </p> <p> <!-- End SiteCatalyst code version: H.20.3. --> <!--[if IE]>--></p> <p> <!--[if !IE]> --> <!--<!--[if IE]>--></p> <p> <!--[if !IE]> --> </p> <p> <!-- <!-- CWV --></p> <div> <p class="mol-para-with-font">Scotland Yard’s first black police officer, who wrote about the horrific racial abuse he suffered during his time on the force in the 1960s, has said the latest scandals at the Met make him question whether anything has been learned. </p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">Retired Detective Sergeant Norwell Roberts, 76, joined in 1967 and was repeatedly abused while working at Bow Street police station.</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">The station was merged into Charing Cross, where officers were recently caught exchanging vile WhatsApp messages. </p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">He said the process of writing a new book, I Am Nowell Roberts, had ‘brought back things I’d rather not remember’. </p> <div class="artSplitter mol-img-group"> <div class="mol-img"> <div class="image-wrap"> </div> </div> <p class="imageCaption">Retired Detective Sergeant Norwell Roberts, 76, came forward in 1967 and was repeatedly abused while working at Bow Street police station</p> </div> <p class="mol-para-with-font">Talking to <a target="_blank" class="class" href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/norwell-roberts-sir-mark-rowley-root-out-racists-met-police-b1030950.html" rel="noopener">the standard</a>he added: “I’m writing about 1967 and it’s the same things in 2022, what have we learned?” </p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">Roberts calls for a zero-tolerance approach to officers who are racist, sexist, homophobic or corrupt.</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">New Met commissioner Mark Rowley has vowed to be ‘ruthless’ in tackling misconduct and admits the force had been too ‘weak’ in the past. </p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">Sir. Roberts said: “He’s got to mean what he says – if you want to stamp out something like racism, just do it. </p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">‘Be strong. You have to be brave to win the respect of your men and women. It was tough for me at the time, and I think I did pretty well.</p> <div class="artSplitter mol-img-group"> <div class="mol-img"> <div class="image-wrap"> </div> </div> <p class="imageCaption">New Met commissioner Mark Rowley has vowed to be ‘ruthless’ in tackling offending and admits the force had been too ‘weak’ in the past</p> </div> <p class="mol-para-with-font">‘I couldn’t talk to the sergeants or the inspectors – nobody would listen to me.’</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">Sir. Roberts recalled an incident when his sergeant called him a ‘n*****’ and vowed to prevent him from ever completing his probation. </p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">It comes as chilling memes shared on a WhatsApp group containing serving and retired Met police officers surfaced online yesterday. </p> <div class="mol-img-group floatRHS"> <div class="mol-img"> <div class="image-wrap"> </div> </div> <p class="imageCaption">Sir. Roberts said the process of writing a new book, I’m Nowell Roberts, had “brought back things I’d rather not remember”</p> </div> <p class="mol-para-with-font">Images seen by MailOnline make discriminatory jokes about black Londoners, the shooting of a BLM activist, the murder of George Floyd, the plight of domestic violence victims and Shamima Begum joining Scotland Yard as a commissioner in a burka uniform.</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">Former police officer Rob Lewis has been suspended from his job at the UK Border Force over ‘disgusting’ texts from him and others, some of which are alleged to include the repeated use of the word ‘P*ki’.</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">Members of the chat group he is alleged to have set up include police officers who served in the same unit as PC Wayne Couzens. </p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">Serving police officers were part of the group until recently – many, but not all, left after the killing of Sarah Everard, it is said.</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">The chat, which has been running for the past 12 years, includes “disgusting and deplorable” messages and memes about Harry and Meghan, the government’s policy of deporting migrants to Rwanda for processing, slurs about black MPs and at least one joke about the recent devastating flooding in Pakistan, where 1,700 have died and millions have been displaced.</p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">Sir Mark was chosen for the £293,000-a-year job after Dame Cressida Dick was ousted in February following scandals including the murder of Sarah Everard by a police officer and the jailing of two officers who photographed dead bodies. </p> <p class="mol-para-with-font">The force was recently put into special measures.</p> </div> <p> <!-- ad: https://mads.dailymail.co.uk/v8/gb/news/none/article/other/inread_player.html --></p> <div class="column-content cleared"> <div class="shareArticles"> <h3 class="social-links-title">Share or comment on this article: </h3> </div> </div> </div><!-- /wp:html -->

‘I write about 1967 and it’s the same in 2022’: Scotland Yard’s first black police officer, who wrote about horrific racist abuse he faced by force in the 60s, urges new Met boss to be ‘bold’ for to exterminate racists

Norwell Roberts was racially abused while working at Bow Street police station
Amalgamated to Charing Cross – center of a scandal over via WhatsApps
Sir. Roberts called for a zero-tolerance approach to officer misconduct

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Scotland Yard’s first black police officer, who wrote about the horrific racial abuse he suffered during his time on the force in the 1960s, has said the latest scandals at the Met make him question whether anything has been learned.

Retired Detective Sergeant Norwell Roberts, 76, joined in 1967 and was repeatedly abused while working at Bow Street police station.

The station was merged into Charing Cross, where officers were recently caught exchanging vile WhatsApp messages.

He said the process of writing a new book, I Am Nowell Roberts, had ‘brought back things I’d rather not remember’.

Retired Detective Sergeant Norwell Roberts, 76, came forward in 1967 and was repeatedly abused while working at Bow Street police station

Talking to the standardhe added: “I’m writing about 1967 and it’s the same things in 2022, what have we learned?”

Roberts calls for a zero-tolerance approach to officers who are racist, sexist, homophobic or corrupt.

New Met commissioner Mark Rowley has vowed to be ‘ruthless’ in tackling misconduct and admits the force had been too ‘weak’ in the past.

Sir. Roberts said: “He’s got to mean what he says – if you want to stamp out something like racism, just do it.

‘Be strong. You have to be brave to win the respect of your men and women. It was tough for me at the time, and I think I did pretty well.

New Met commissioner Mark Rowley has vowed to be ‘ruthless’ in tackling offending and admits the force had been too ‘weak’ in the past

‘I couldn’t talk to the sergeants or the inspectors – nobody would listen to me.’

Sir. Roberts recalled an incident when his sergeant called him a ‘n*****’ and vowed to prevent him from ever completing his probation.

It comes as chilling memes shared on a WhatsApp group containing serving and retired Met police officers surfaced online yesterday.

Sir. Roberts said the process of writing a new book, I’m Nowell Roberts, had “brought back things I’d rather not remember”

Images seen by MailOnline make discriminatory jokes about black Londoners, the shooting of a BLM activist, the murder of George Floyd, the plight of domestic violence victims and Shamima Begum joining Scotland Yard as a commissioner in a burka uniform.

Former police officer Rob Lewis has been suspended from his job at the UK Border Force over ‘disgusting’ texts from him and others, some of which are alleged to include the repeated use of the word ‘P*ki’.

Members of the chat group he is alleged to have set up include police officers who served in the same unit as PC Wayne Couzens.

Serving police officers were part of the group until recently – many, but not all, left after the killing of Sarah Everard, it is said.

The chat, which has been running for the past 12 years, includes “disgusting and deplorable” messages and memes about Harry and Meghan, the government’s policy of deporting migrants to Rwanda for processing, slurs about black MPs and at least one joke about the recent devastating flooding in Pakistan, where 1,700 have died and millions have been displaced.

Sir Mark was chosen for the £293,000-a-year job after Dame Cressida Dick was ousted in February following scandals including the murder of Sarah Everard by a police officer and the jailing of two officers who photographed dead bodies.

The force was recently put into special measures.

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