Off The Beat: My life as a brown, Muslim woman in the Met

When Nusrit Mehtab joined the Met Police in the late 80s the organisation was rife with racism and misogyny. Officers refused to patrol with her, or even call her by her name. Her attempts to get promoted were met with hostility and ridicule and she was subject to cruel pranks.

As the years passed and her seniority grew, Nusrit was dismayed to find that these problems got worse, not better. After 30 years, she finally had enough and left the MET, initiating an employment tribunal against them in the process. Now lecturing new recruits in policing law and criminology, she's confident that we can mould the next generation of officers to create a more inclusive police force, safer for both the officers and the public.

Full of gritty and shocking stories from the heart of the organisation, Off the Beat shines the light on an institution that has lost sight of its mission to protect us and pleads the case for a brighter and safer future.

Nusrit Mehtab is a former police officer, at one point the most senior female Asian officer in the Metropolitan Police. In 2017 Mehtab instigated an employment tribunal against them for racism and misogyny, and soon after left the police force after 30 years of service. She is now a lecturer in criminology and criminal justice at the University of East London and also mentors many young recruits and BAME officers. She hopes to change the force from the inside.