‘When I joined the police, not many looked like me’

The first Sikh woman police officer in Leicestershire has retired after 28 years in the force.

Manjit Atwal rose to the rank of chief superintendent and retired on Thursday as one of the highest-ranking Sikh female officers in the UK.

She said she had witnessed major changes since joining Leicestershire Police in 1996, including technology and inclusivity.

During her time in the police, Ms Atwal worked as a hostage negotiator for 12 years, and received the Queen’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service.

She said: “Over the last 28 years, there’s been so many changes. Whether you look at uniform, from a skirt to trousers, to more women in the job and also technology, and we’ve got a more diverse workforce.”

Ms Atwal said some of the biggest challenges she had faced in her career included “being a woman of color and being a mother, because of the shift pattern that we worked at that time.

“What I was able to do, was work through those barriers and make those changes throughout my career.”

However, Ms Atwal said she believes workforce diversity remains a challenge.

“When I joined back in 1996, there weren’t many that looked like me,” she said.

“And there weren’t many women either. But now, we’ve got a lot more women in the job.

“For me, Leicester is so vibrant, multicultural, and we really need to look like our communities.”

She added that one day she hopes to see a chief constable from a minority community.

Ms Atwal also worked as part of Operation Soteria, a national program to improve the policing response to rape and other sexual offences.

Chief Constable Rob Nixon said communities trusted Ms Atwal, who helped to build trust in the force.

He added: “Internally, I think her legacy is she has inspired staff and officers to join the force, stay with the force, and adopt a really high level of integrity and community focus.”

When asked what her plans were next, Ms Atwal said: “I’m going to take some time out, because as I’ve gone through my career, my children have grown up.

“I’ve now got grandchildren and I really want to have a bit of time out to have some time with my grandchildren, my family, but also reinvent myself as the new Manjit.”

Additional reporting from Amy Payne