Reviews

"Kill The Black One First" by Michael Fuller

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abbie_'s review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

An interesting memoir by Britain’s first Black chief constable, the title of which comes from words shouted at him by protestors during the Brixton Riots in the 1981. There’s so much wrong with policing in the UK, but it was fascinating to hear about police work in the 80s and 90s, as well as Michael Fuller’s rise to the top in the face of institutionalised racism. Fuller grew up in care, but against the odds found himself in a home with a supportive caretaker. His first encounters with racism didn’t occur until his first year policing, at which point his staunch belief in the justice system began to falter. Fuller struggled with fitting in in an outright racist police force, while also dealing with hostility from the Black community, who understandably did not trust the police. As an older man, I don’t agree with some of his politics / beliefs, but overall this was an interesting read that I’m glad I picked up - good on audio as I think in print the writing may have been too plain.

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