Sislin Fay Allen

Letters between the Metropolitan Police and The Times about Sislin Fay Allen, the first Black woman police constable in the United Kingdom, 1968 (MEPO 2/11283)

 

Sislin Fay Allen was the first Black woman police constable in the United Kingdom. These documents were written while she was still in training.

 

One is a letter from The Times, asking to photograph Allen to do a story on her. The other is a letter to The Times from the press office asking the journalist to wait until Allen has had more experience on the job – she had only been with the force for five or six weeks.

 

Shortly after starting her new position, Allen dealt with numerous reporters wanting to do a story on her – she later described almost breaking her leg running from them – as well as racist hate mail. Allen served in the Metropolitan Police in London from 1968 to 1972. In 2020 she received a lifetime achievement award from the National Black Police Association. She passed away in July 2021.

Transcript

 

THE TIMES

 

TIMES NEWSPAPERS LIMITED, PRINTING HOUSE SQUARE, LONDON, E.C. 4.

 

Telephone: 01-236 2000 Telex: 26 2622/3

 

February 16, 1968

 

Dear Mr. Gregory,

 

I write to ask for your advice and help.

 

I understand the difficulties but I would very much like to interview Mrs. Sislin Allen, subject, of course, to your permission and her agreement. Particularly, I would like to talk with her on the real problems which will face her – as a woman, as a coloured woman and as a coloured policewoman – when she finishes her training.

 

I think, without being the slightest bit sensational, there is a very worthwhile story to be written about her.

 

Of course all copy would be vetted thoroughly by your Department and would not be used until your permission is granted. Or, if you would like a framework of possible questions before you decide, again I would be only too happy to submit them.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Rita Marshall

 

G. Gregory, Esq.,

 

Public Relations Officer,

 

New Scotland Yard,

 

Broadway,

 

London, S.W.1.

 

 

19th February, 1968.

 

Dear Miss Marshall,

 

Thank you so much for your letter in which you tell me that you would like to interview Mrs. Allen, our first coloured woman recruit.

 

I agree with you that there is a worthwhile story to be told but I believe that it would be premature to try to do this now. As you may know, Mrs. Allen entered the Metropolitan Police Service five or six weeks ago and is still under training and has not yet had any police experience upon which she could draw for your purpose. I am sure that it would, as yet, be unfair to her to ask for her views on topical matters of which she will have little or no experience. I think, and you may agree, that it would be better to wait for a little while until Mrs. Allen has had some experience on normal police work and she has gained confidence in the sort of duties which she will be called upon to do. I hope that you do not think that I am being unhelpful about this but I do think that it would be worthwhile waiting for a while until she is better able to give a good account of herself.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

(G. D. Gregory)

 

Public Relations Officer

 

Miss Rita Marshall,

 

The Times,

 

Times Newspapers Limited,

 

Printing House Square,

 

London,

 

E.C. 4

 

 

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