Dalwardin Babu, who speaks four languages was one of the most senior ranking Asian police officers in Britain, retiring as Borough Commander For Harrow in London (United Kingdom). Known as Dal Babu to his friends, he is of Muslim, Indian descent. Dal’s parents came to the UK in 1958 and he was born in Walsall (Birmingham UK) in 1963. Raised with immense love from his parents and 9 siblings he grew up in an environment where he saw his father work all hours in a factory. Dal was a determined young man who understood and learnt the value of hard work, integrity and community from his parents at an early age. He suffered intense racist abuse and violence as a child living in a white majority area and promised himself that he would do whatever was possible to change society and bring peace between communities. He decided to go against the grain (something which he has continued to do throughout his career) by joining the police force, an endeavour at the time fraught with obstacles and wanton racism. Even though relations between minority communities and the police were at an all time low, despite the constant abuse and difficulty endured by any Asian officer amongst a predominantly all white Police Force, Dal Babu was led by a moral compass to serve the community and to bring about justice for all. As the only non white recruit amongst over 300 new police officers, Dal went on to facing and overcoming numerous challenges that would have felled the best of people. He achieved far more than he set out to do and he recalls during those early exceptionally difficult years that “Those Black and Asian role models that existed believed in complete assimilation and pulled up the ladder behind them”. Dal has ever since been a consummate role model to both police officers he has mentored from all backgrounds and to young people who look up to him. His ladder has always remained in place serving to give a helping hand whilst mentoring hundreds of new officers across the UK and speaking to thousands of children and young people in schools and community centres.
His exceptional service over more than 30-years, has been an exemplary display of leadership, integrity, vision and sacrifice. He has shown real grit in the face of personal challenges within the police force and true leadership in the face of terrorism on the streets of the UK. Dal Babu has been involved in innovative key initiatives that have protected communities in London and across the United Kingdom. He has been an inspiring figure in pushing for community cohesion and his professional abilities have been recognised many times with the award of an OBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2010 for services to the community. He was one of the leading figures in the joint venture hosted by The Board of Deputies of British Jews, the English Football authorities and the Metropolitan Police in ‘Tackling anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in football’.
His commitment to equality led him to be the founder and first Chair of the National Association of Muslim Police as well as holding prominent roles in the Black Police Association. It is a testament to Dal Babu’s strength of character, his sense of community and honesty that he has gained the trust and respect of Prime Ministers, Home Secretaries, Ministers, Minority and Majority communities, Colleagues in the Police Force, other Security Organisations as well as Government Departments.
Dal is a Non Executive Director at North Middlesex Hospital, an adviser to the Home Affairs Select Committee and was a founder of Tottenham University in North London. Other awards include: the London High Sheriff Award for work with young people (2011), and the London Peace Award for community engagement (2011) and it is an honour for The Sinan Wren Foundation to award Dalwardin Babu the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award For Leadership and Service to the United Kingdom.
