“The memory has quite a kind way of burying very traumatic incidents,” said Michael Fuller about the process of writing his memoir, Kill the Black One First. As the UK’s first black chief constable, his book weaves his personal and his professional stories by dipping into the often painful seminal experiences of his life. From racist language in school to racial bullying in work, his is a story of adversity and success.
Born in 1959, Fuller is the child of the Windrush generation. After his parents separated, he was sent into state care as a toddler and spent a period of time in hospital due to malnourishment and trauma. He says good institutionalised care nurtured him into a well-balanced child. It therefore comes as no shock that he believes in the power of policing, education and social care.
Speaking to journalist Sarfraz Manor, he detailed his career path upwards through the police ranks, delving into stories of National Front posters in police canteens, dealing with riots in Brixton and tackling gun crime.
Fuller wrote his memoir like an investigative report, revisiting crime scenes and fact checking his tales. “I always judge things on my own view rather than on what other people said,” he told Manzoor.
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