Scotland Yard celebrates first-ever Sikh female police officer

Scotland Yard on Monday celebrated 50th anniversary of Karpal Kaur Sandhu joining its ranks as first South Asian and Sikh female police officer, paving way for ors to follow in her footsteps.

Police Constable (PC) Sandhu served Metropolitan Police in London between 1971 and 1973 and has been dubbed as a “true pioneer” for police forces across UK.

“PC Karpal Kaur Sandhu was a true pioneer and ahe of her time. I have no doubt that her decision to join Met Police in 1971 was a brave one and she would have faced considerable challenges along way,” said Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball.

“As Britain's and Met’s first Asian female officer, Karpal paved way for so many ors who have gone into policing since 1971. Fifty years to day after PC Sandhu joined Met, I am pleased that we are able to remember her life, her career and legacy she has left policing," she said.

National Sikh Police Association UK joined forces with Met Police Sikh Association for a special virtual event in memory of PC Sandhu on Monday.

“Today, toger with representatives from Met’s Sikh Association, Met police officers and staff and wider Sikh community, we remember Karpal’s special contribution to policing, as UK’s first female Asian and Sikh police officer,” said Ravjeet Gupta, Chair of Metropolitan Police Sikh Association.

“Karpal was an invaluable ambassor for Met who helped break down barriers with London's communities and will always be remembered for being a trailblazer of her time,” said Gupta.

PC Sandhu was born to a Sikh family in Zanzibar, East Africa, in 1943 and came to UK in 1962, where she got a job as a nurse at Chase Farm Hospital.

She joined Met in 1971 at age of 27, where she served at Hornsey police station before moving to Leyton in east London.

“I’m so proud of my mor, and her legacy as UK’s first female police officer from an Asian and Sikh background. It’s wonderful that 50 years on she is remembered, and is an inspiration to generations of new female police officers joining Met,” said Romy Sandhu, Karpal Kaur Sandhu’s daughter.

At a time when re would have only been about 700 female officers in Met, she was both first female Sikh and female South Asian police officer in UK.

Writing in a report at time, her Chief Superintendent said that she was “proving invaluable with our dealings with immigrant population and she is also assisting or divisions in this work and also in teaching police officers Asian dialects".

He ded that she was “energetic, intelligent and conscientious” and enjoyed playing hockey and driving.

Met Police said that PC Sandhu passed away in “tragic circumstances” in November 1973 and sly, force lost a promising officer who h a bright future.

Sandhu, aged 30, was killed in an altercation with her husband, who was reportedly opposed to her career choice and was later sentenced to life imprisonment for her murder in 1974.