Neil Basu spent 30 years working at the Metropolitan Police.
He retired as the most senior officer of colour in the UK, the first Asian officer in charge of counter terrorism and only the fourth person of colour to reach his rank.
Turmoil is the story of how he rose to the top, the persistent and ingrained discrimination he faced at every level, and the spectre of racism that would weave its way throughout his career.
Opening on London's most deprived, violent, and unequal streets and moving into the heart of New Scotland Yard, it details high-profile cases, public enquiries and the explosive inquests of Stephen Lawrence, Mark Duggan, and Azelle Rodney. It encompasses the surveilling of corrupt police officers, serving as head of a murder squad on Operation Trident, and investigating acts of terrorism in his final years of public service.
Turmoil is a powerful first-hand account of what it's like to serve on the biggest police force in the UK. It reveals uncomfortable truths about modern policing and the enduring racism across the Met that would in the end push Neil over the edge and out of service. Neil Basu is a former Met Assistant Commissioner in the Metropolitan Police. He spent 30 years on the force and has made headlines for speaking up about racism not just within the organisation, but on broader governmental and societal rhetoric.
