I Am Norwell Roberts
The Story of the Met’s First Black Police Officer
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I Am Norwell Roberts
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Narrated by:
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Ben Onwukwe
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By:
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Norwell Roberts
About this listen
Norwell Roberts, the Met's first Black police officer in 1967, found out he had a new job the same way the rest of the country did—from a Daily Telegraph headline that read 'Met to Have First Coloured Policeman'.
From that day forward his face became a symbol—of acceptance, of a diverse police force, of a changing Britain. He was turned into the poster boy for progressive policing—but his day-to-day reality was anything but. Greeted with prejudice, ridicule and rejection, he refused to quit. And thus began an extraordinary career that placed him on the frontlines for a tumultuous period in Britain's history. Stationed at embassies, anti-war protests and riots, his race singled him out and landed him on front pages around the world. This is the story of the man behind the headlines, in his own words.
Conversations about the police as an institution have never been more heated or more urgent than they are today, but to appreciate the present and how far we have come we sometimes need to revisit the past, no matter how painful. Honest, moving and impossible to forget, I Am Norwell Roberts is a story of resilience against the odds, and of one man's ability to make a difference.
©2022 Revelation Films Ltd (P)2022 Hodder & Stoughton LimitedListeners also enjoyed...
an incredible story
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Very interesting book
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Mr Roberts takes readers on a journey from his much heralded entry into the police service and describes along the way his own coping mechanisms for dealing with the racism he encountered both from the public and, perhaps more sadly; his colleagues.
Despite this and much to his credit, P.C. Roberts became D.C. Roberts, then Sergeant and Acting Chief Inspector Roberts as well as spending much time on undercover operations.
He encountered the strange dichotomy of being well respected and acknowledged for his work by many colleagues of all ranks whilst at the same time, apparently being disrespected or indeed loathed by others.
As the son of a 1960s cop, I have no trouble in imagining the experiences described but can only surmise how it must have felt to be on the receiving end. I joined the Police service myself in 1990, twenty three years after Mr Roberts by which time one may have thought things had moved on somewhat. Sadly a string of Industrial Tribunals, Indepedent Complaints investigations and such as the Stephen Lawrence inquiry report would suggest otherwise. Wind the clock forward another 20 years and sadly there remains evidence of institutionalised racism such as that recently identified at Charing Cross Police Station.
I can say without doubt that Mr Roberts is right when he says that the police service needs to be more representative of the public it serves and increase the diversity of its recruits. What he achieved as an individual needs to be replicated to move things on positively. Here though, I would add a BUT......it is equally incumbent on existing and future officers/staff to help create an environment within the police service where staff from minority backgrounds can just be part of the team and concentrate on doing their job rather than battling for acceptance.
Mr Roberts book is both inspiring and yet a worrying account of life as a black cop that has the potential to be an interesting historical account or a glimpse into the future.
A friend once asked me "Are you racist or anti-racist?". That should have been easy to answer but it's not. Nothing worth achieving ever is easy.
A very honest and thought provoking life story
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Not taking away took a lot of courage to go through the racism he endured which was diabolical to say least, just lost interest after a while and found it a little repetitive. Hats off to Norwell for sticking it out though as it sounded hell to begin with, so credit due.
Interesting initially but tailed off
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