Remember the trailblazers: first black officer honoured at ceremony
The first black police officer to join the modern service has been honoured with a room named after him at Londons newest police training centre.
The first black police officer to join the modern service has been honoured with a room named after him at Londons newest police training centre.
Chief Superintendent Craig Haslam dedicated the room to former Detective Sergeant Norwell Roberts as the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) training site at Hendon was opened on Friday (October 7).
Mr Roberts attended the ceremony and was presented with an oil painting of him that will be hung in the room.
Mr Roberts was born in St Kitts and joined the MPS on November 6, 1967.
He later joined the CID and won an outstanding commendation for the arrest of five contract killers in 1987.
He also won two more commendations for covert operations with the Drugs Squad, and was awarded the Queens Policing Medal before retiring in 1997.
Superintendent Robyn Williams said: As we reach the milestone of achieving over 4,000 black and minority ethnic officers, we must not forget the trailblazers.
Almost 50 years ago, a young Norwell Roberts was the first black officer to join the modern police service.
The first black officer to ever walk the beat in Britain is said to be Police Constable John Kent, who joined Carlisle Police in 1837.
PC Kent became well known across the city before being sacked in 1844 for being drunk on duty a common end to an officers career at the time.