Beverly Douglas, a Windrush child from Easton, Bristol, has published PC Bev, a memoir about her 35 years with Avon and Somerset Police. She joined as a special constable in 1983 amid tensions after the 1980 St Pauls riot and later served from Southmead station. Douglas faced racism from the public and criticism from parts of the Black community but credits supportive colleagues as a lifeline. Her book aims to inspire those who want to "make a difference" and honors earlier pioneers like Sislin Fay Allen.
PC Bev: Avon & Somerset’s Longest-Serving Black Female Officer Reflects on 35 Years of Policing
Beverly Douglas, a Windrush child from Easton, Bristol, has published PC Bev, a memoir about her 35 years with Avon and Somerset Police. She joined as a special constable in 1983 amid tensions after the 1980 St Pauls riot and later served from Southmead station. Douglas faced racism from the public and criticism from parts of the Black community but credits supportive colleagues as a lifeline. Her book aims to inspire those who want to "make a difference" and honors earlier pioneers like Sislin Fay Allen.
02:07 PM, 11/15/2025Society
PC Bev: A 35-year career of service, challenge and hope
Beverly Douglas, a Windrush child who grew up in Easton, Bristol, has published a memoir reflecting on what she calls "the best job in the world" after 35 years with Avon and Somerset Police. In PC Bev, Douglas recounts how she joined the force as a special constable in 1983 amid lingering tensions following the 1980 St Pauls riot, which resulted in 140 arrests.
"I felt confident that I could make a difference and the only way I could make a difference was if I was part of the establishment and part of the organisation that everybody was berating and saying was institutionally racist," she writes.
Originally planning to join the British Army, Douglas changed course after an unsuccessful recruitment exam and instead found inspiration from community police officers who visited her school. Her curiosity and determination led her to join the force even when many in her community viewed police with suspicion.
Douglas served five years as a special constable before becoming a full-time police constable based at Southmead station. She describes a two-fold hostility: at times facing racist abuse from members of the public and, at other times, criticism from parts of the Black community who considered her a "traitor" for joining the police.
Despite these pressures, Douglas credits supportive colleagues as a "lifeline" that helped her remain in policing for so long. "I'm not saying it was perfect, but if I didn't have that support, there's no way I would've remained in that organisation for so many years," she says.
PC Bev mixes personal memoir with reflections on policing, community relations and representation. Douglas hopes her book will inspire others who want to "make a difference" and pays tribute to pioneers such as Sislin Fay Allen, the first Black officer in the Metropolitan Police: "On her shoulders, I stand."
The memoir adds a valuable, personal perspective to ongoing conversations about trust between police and communities, and about the importance of diversity within the service.