Today Tonia is talking to Dr Leroy Logan MBE
Described by The Voice newspaper as ‘one of the Black officers who helped change the Met’, Leroy is one of the founder members of the Black Police Association.
In 1982, He was preparing for a career in science and medicine when he felt a strong call to join the police. he knew he would face opposition from family and friends yet the call was too strong to ignore, reinforced by a friend who told him, ‘we need an organisation that looks like London, we need Black officers.
Leroy was determined to improve the relationship between the Met Police and the London Black community, to break down barriers and stereotypes, and to do his best to change the institution from the inside.
After Damilola Taylor’s murder in 2000 Leroy was part of a small team of Black officers who used ‘affinity policing’ to break the wall of silence in house to house enquiries, providing critical information for the investigation.
Bridging the gap with young Black people through initiatives such as the Edmonton Volunteer Cadet Corps, the Paddington Community Project, the Youth Violence Commission, REALLITY and Voyage Youth, he helped to launch the Black Police Association in 1994 and worked with MPs and police to highlight and address the lack of diversity in the Met.
Along the way, he has made powerful allies and enemies, and rubbed shoulders with Princess Diana, Jack Straw, Sadiq Khan, Jesse Jackson and Cressida Dick among others.