Karpal Kaur Sandhu was the first female Asian police officer in Britain. She served in the Metropolitan Police Service from 1971 to 1973.
Karpal Kaur Sandhu | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1943 Zanzibar |
| Died | 4 November 1973 Walthamstow |
| Cause of death | murdered |
| Occupation | Police officer |
| Employer | Metropolitan Police Service |
| Known for | first female Asian police officer in Britain |
History
editSandhu was born in Zanzibar in 1943, before moving to Britain in 1962 and becoming a nurse at Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield.[1][2] She joined the Metropolitan Police Service aged 27 on 1 February 1971, serving first in Hornsey, then in Walthamstow and Leyton.[3] Her date of joining made her the first female Asian police officer in Britain.[2][4][5]
Sandhu died in the line of duty on 4 November 1973. Her husband did not agree with her becoming a police officer, claiming it was neither suitably Asian nor ladylike.[6][7] Eventually, her husband confronted her outside her house in Chelmsford Road, Walthamstow.[3] When her husband attacked her, she recalled herself to duty in order to arrest him. In March 1974 he was found guilty of her murder and received a life sentence.[8][9]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Neiyyar, Dil (1 February 2011). "Call to honour an Asian 'pioneer'". BBC News. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ^ a b "UK's first Asian female officer remembered by Met Police". BBC News. February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ a b Hardy, Clare. "HISTORY: Met Police marks 40th anniversary of first female Asian officer". East London and West Essex Guardian Series. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
- ^ Llewellyn, Julia (2012). "Life as an ethnic minority police officer". Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2017-11-05.
- ^ Arain, Saima Manzoor (2014-06-22). Women Police Unfurled in Pakistan: Perspective, Status and Prospective. Lulu.com. ISBN 9781312276246.
- ^ "UK's first Asian female officer remembered by Met Police". BBC News. 2021-02-01. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
- ^ Sandhu, Parm (2021-06-10). Black and Blue: One Woman's Story of Policing and Prejudice. Atlantic Books. ISBN 978-1-83895-266-2.
- ^ "Remembering the Met's first Asian Police officer PC Karpal Kaur Sandhu 50 years on". MetFed. 2021-02-03. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
- ^ "Police Roll of Honour Trust". policememorial.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-11-05.