Neil Basu
Anil Kanti "Neil" Basu QPM (born 1968) is a senior British police officer. Basu is currently a Non-Executive Director of the College of Policing, leading the strategic command course which prepares police officers and staff for promotion to the most senior ranks in the service. [1] Basu is also part of the National Police Chiefs' Council's scrutiny board for police action plan on inclusion and race.
Neil Basu | |
---|---|
![]() Basu (rear) in 2019 | |
Born | 1968 (age 54–55) |
Police career | |
Country | United Kingdom |
Department | Metropolitan Police Service |
Service years | 1992–2022 |
Rank | Assistant Commissioner (Specialist Operations) |
Awards | Queen's Police Medal |
From March 2018 to September 2021, he served as Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations in the Metropolitan Police Service and the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for Counter Terrorism Policing.[2][3]
Basu left the Metropolitan Police at the end of November 2022. [4]
Career
Basu became a police officer in 1992, and has spent his whole career serving with the Metropolitan Police Service.[5][6] He is currently the most senior serving British police officer of Asian heritage: his father was from Kolkata, India and his mother was from Wales.[7][8]
In 2018, Basu received the Asian Achievers Award for Achievement in Uniformed and Civil Services.[9]
During the George Floyd protests, Basu spoke out about racism in policing, stating he was "horrified" by George Floyd's murder.[10]
Basu has stated he believes British policing is institutionally racist, criticising other senior British police officers for their reluctance to agree.[11][12]
Following the resignation of Lynne Owens as Director-General of the National Crime Agency, Basu was one of the final candidates considered to replaced Owens until the Home Office restarted the selection process in May 2022.[12]
Honours
Ribbon | Description | Notes |
![]() | Queen's Police Medal (QPM) |
|
![]() | Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal |
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![]() | Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal |
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![]() | Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal |
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![]() | Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal | |
References
- "Neil Basu announced as new strategic command course director". College of Policing. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
- "Reconnecting the global security industry at International Security Expo – International Security Journal (ISJ)". 2 February 2022. Archived from the original on 2 February 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- "About the Met – Senior management team". Metropolitan Police. Archived from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- "Meghan Markle faced credible threats to her life". Channel 4 News. 29 November 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2022.
- "Basu, Anil Kanti, (Neil)". Who's Who 2020. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2019. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U290682. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- "New counter-terrorism chief appointed". BBC News. 5 March 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- Shaw, Danny (21 May 2019). "Top Asian officer's 'daily' racial abuse". BBC News. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- Evans, Martin (15 July 2019). "Profile: Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, the man who quietly rose to become Britain's anti-terror chief". The Telegraph. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- "Welcome to the most prestigious Asian awards". Asian Achievers Awards. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
- Basu, Neil (9 June 2019). "Police must view legitimate anger with care – we need to listen to our communities". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- Basu, Neil (26 May 2022). "British policing is institutionally racist. Until we admit it we'll never win back trust". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- Dodd, Vikram (25 May 2022). "Neil Basu's bid for crime agency top job ends after alleged No 10 intervention". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- "No. 61608". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 June 2016. p. B35.