MixTogether & Friends

The Independent reports that the Met’s top ‘honour’ crimes officers Nikki Hubbard and Commander Steve Allen are moving on ”imminently’:

HBV, forced marriage and female genital mutilation will all be highlighted in the police national intelligence database to be rolled out next year. And the National Policing Improvement Authority is working closely with Nikki Hubbard – the police officer who has spearheaded many of the improvements in this area – to develop a mandatory training package. But experts fear that the imminent departure to new posts of Ms Hubbard and the equally committed Commander Steve Allen could see progress stutter as many forces still rely heavily on their advice when dealing with individual cases.

These two officers have provided brave and sensitive leadership to the Met on ‘honour’ crimes. They have led from a time when the police were scared to tackle minority problems robustly for fear of being labelled ‘racist’. The difficulty of that task cannot be underestimated. Both officers faced the same uphill struggle as campaigning groups, negotiating a politically correct culture which has been slow to recognise and respond to ‘honour’ crime.

Both have worked closely with Karma Nirvana and other agencies to transform the police’s response to HBV, especially in the wake of Banaz Mahmod’s killing. I have been lucky enough to attend a couple of events alongside both officers; they were professional, courteous and friendly.

MT&Friends hopes that both officers will work to ensure a smooth transition  with the people chosen to fill their roles.

They will be a hard act to follow.