When Leroy Logan was in his mid-20s, his father (a Windrush-generation Jamaican) was brutally beaten by Metropolitan Police officers. Months later, Leroy joined the police.

Leroy would eventually spend the next 30 years in public service, rising to the rank of superintendent. His story of changing the Met from the inside was the subject of a Small Axe film, the Golden Globe and BAFTA-winning BBC series directed by Steven McQueen.

Leroy’s book Closing Ranks: My Life as a Cop tells of his illustrious career, giving a behind-the-scenes look at the workings of the Met. One of the founder members of the Black Police Association, his book serves as a history lesson in race relations in modern-day Britain.

Leroy was in conversation with acclaimed broadcaster and author Afua Hirsch to discuss Leroy’s career challenges and successes, race relations in the UK, the myriad issues facing the Met, and how to empower the capital’s young people at a time when opportunities for them appear to be running thin.

Speakers:

Leroy Logan is a former superintendent in the Metropolitan police and author of Closing Ranks: My Life as a Cop. A distinguished officer and advocate for building a more equal criminal justice system and society, Leroy is a founding member and former chair of the Black Police Association. Leroy’s book Closing Ranks recounts his 30 years in policing – the racism he encountered and the day-to-day reality of being a Met officer. He discusses issues of race and ethnicity in modern Britain; the cases that required perseverance and determination, including the Stephen Lawrence murder inquiry; and working towards building a better system and culture within the police force. Part of the book was used by director Steve McQueen in his acclaimed series of films about the black British experience, Small Axe, in which Leroy was portrayed on screen by John Boyega. With three decades of experience working in the Met, Leroy has become a highly respected voice on building relationships between police and community, creating a fairer justice system and how to mentor and engage young people to reduce knife crime. As one of the officers who gave evidence for the Macpherson report, Leroy has also become a leading voice on policing in black communities. He discusses the need for structural change to manage the deficit in soft skills and regulate the consequences of digitalising the force. He also looks at ethical leadership, the importance of creating the necessary space to challenge a system, and how to avoid blocks in middle management. Leroy gained an honorary PhD from the University of East London for his work on youth empowerment initiatives and has been an advisory board member for multiple charities working with underprivileged and underrepresented youths, from gang-related violence to supporting their educational needs. He has continued to advise and lead companies in the security sector.

Afua Hirsch is an award-winning writer, broadcaster and former barrister who is known for her work on social justice, black culture, history and identity. Afua has worked as a journalist for more than twenty years, as a Guardian correspondent and freelance contributor to publications including the New York Times, Time Magazine and Vogue. She presents and produces non scripted TV documentaries, including African Renaissance, a BBC series on African art, and Enslaved, a 6 part series about the transatlantic slave trade with Samuel L Jackson, and a podcast series for Audible. In 2018 she published Brit(ish): On Race, Identity and Belonging – winner of the Royal Society of Literature Jerwood Prize – and in 2019 a children’s book Equal To Everything, about the UK Supreme Court. She was a judge on last year’s Booker Prize and  is currently the Wallis Annenberg Chair of Journalism at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Afua is the founder of Born in Me Productions, which creates scripted and non-scripted movies, TV and podcast. 

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