A Muslim police officer has told off the horrific abuse she has faced whilst doing her job. PC Zara Basharat has had her headscarf ripped off, been repeatedly called the ‘P’ word, assaulted and been labelled a ‘traitor’ by members of her own community for covering the pro-Palestinian protests.
PC Basharat said because she is a female and wears a headscarf, she is seen as ‘an easy target’ by thugs. Despite suffering more than 40 racial slurs, abuse and assaults during her five-year career on response in Sandwell, she has been trying to improve support for colleagues in similar situations.
Her work has been recognised and will be presented with the Sam Hughes Inspiration in Policing Bravery Award, at the end of the month.
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PC Basharat said: “Officers in general face abuse all the time, but ethnic minority officers get it more. I’m female, I’m South Asian, I wear a headscarf, and some see me as an easy target.
“I’ve already been racially abused twice this year by members of the public – it happens too often. My experiences are not the only ones. There are so many officers that face it day in, day out.”
A stock picture of West Midlands Police officers
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At the very worst, attacks included having her hijab pulled off, which she proudly wears as a Muslim woman. She has been called the ‘P’ word countless times, has been told to ‘go back to your prayer mat’ and has even had threats made to burn her headscarf.
The West Midlands Police Federation member said: “I have faced abuse even in my own community. I have been labelled a ‘traitor’ and been subject to harassment, and have also been videoed and posted online while on deployment for the pro-Palestinian protests. There was so much hate and resentment towards me, which did upset me.”
PC Basharat is using her experience as a frontline officer to try to improve support for colleagues who have been racially assaulted or abused. It includes developing a resilience programme, which will be focused on improving the way supervisors and the organisation support colleagues who are subject to abuse at work.
She is working with the Force’s Black and Asian Police Association on the programme and has had support from its chair, Chief Inspector Chris Grandison. The officer said: “He has really motivated me to keep going. The purpose of the programme is to help officers to build their resilience, to expand it and grow, as well as to build a network and make meaningful connections between officers and offer that support to each other.”
Her experiences of the policing of the Palestine protest were shared with senior leaders. And now her work has been recognised with the Sam Hughes Inspiration in Policing Bravery Award.
PC Basharat added: “As police officers we don’t get recognition often but when we do, it’s a nice feeling, especially coming from the senior leadership team, and them recognising their staff and what they go through. But while it is nice to receive, we don’t do it for awards. A quote that resonates with me is from Ghandi, who said ‘be the change you want to see in the world’.
“There is a gap in training and support for officers around physical and racial abuse during frontline duties. The support needs to be consistent from the first assault onwards. If the wellbeing support is not right from the beginning, this may have a detrimental effect on an officer’s wellbeing.
“I believe this training is needed to help improve the way supervisors and the organisation support colleagues who face abuse. This may have a positive overall lasting impact on officer’s welfare and staff retention issue. It is so important to have a diverse police force, as we need to have a police force that represents the community that we serve.”