Bradford MP hosts event celebrating Chief Superintendent Mabs Hussain

Naz Shah MP hosted the first of a series of special celebration events highlighting the achievements and contributions of the Black and Minority Ethnic community in public life.

The packed event, held at Bradford College’s Advanced Technology Centre on Thursday 26th January, spotlighted the achievements of Bradford-born Chief Superintendent Mabs Hussain, the most senior ranking BME officer in Yorkshire and Humberside.

Key speakers included Baroness Sayeeda Warsi and Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Dee Collins, who both spoke passionately about the necessity of a police service that accurately reflected the society it served. They emphasised the importance of role models like Chief Superintendent Mabs Hussain in achieving that end goal.

Currently the BME population in West Yorkshire stands at just under 20 per cent. The overall total of all staff in West Yorkshire Police, including special constables and volunteers, from a BME background is 5.3 per cent.

Thanking Naz Shah and his commander colleagues, Chief Superintendent Mabs Hussain said: “I have been thinking about the purpose of this event, what is it really about?

“I personally don’t think this is about me. It has to be about something more, an opportunity for those of us who are in positions of trust, with a responsibility to others, to make a difference within our professions.

It was highlighted during the evening that the challenge for policing is significant and yet in the last 20 years little progress has been made.

Mabs said that when he joined West Yorkshire Police, it had 5 per cent BME representation and today that figure stands at just 5.6 per cent.

Nationally, since March 2012 there has been an increase of 109 BME Officers.

To meet the Peelian Principle of Policing, a staggering 10,340 BME officers are required for the police service.

“Reflecting on how I got here - I have had some fantastic support inside and outside the organisation and I have had to overcome a number of challenges, some perceived and some real," says Mabs.

“Success for us as a society is when there is no requirement to celebrate people like myself. I become the norm rather than the exception.”

Dee Collins told the audience that West Yorkshire Police the she recognised that in order to better understand the diverse population, the workforce should be drawn from all communities to ensure that the service focussed on protecting the vulnerable and to keep communities’ safe and feeling safer.

She acknowledged that despite an increase in the proportion of Police Officers from a BME background over a number of years (up from 4.6 per cent in 2010 to 5.2 per cent in April 2016) there is still much to do.

A real bobby-dazzler! Wakefield District Commander Shortlisted for Asian Achievers Award

TOP OF THE COPS: Chief Superintendent Mabs Hussein has been shortlisted for a top gong at the Asian Achievers Awards

Chief Superintendent Mabs Hussain of the Wakefield District has been shortlisted for a prestigious award at the annual Asian Achievers ceremony in the category for Uniformed and Civil Services.

The awards ceremony will be held on 16th September, at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, as it celebrates the outstanding work of South Asian individuals from across a spectrum of backgrounds and professions.

This year’s theme is 'Professional Of the Year', for the outstanding achievement in Professions.

Mabs joined West Yorkshire Police in 1996 at 22 and progressed through the Detective ranks as a Sergeant, Inspector and Chief Inspector.

When he was 38, he became one of the youngest Superintendents and was integral in creating the largest policing district in the country through the merger of three policing divisions in Leeds.

The 'change programme' was unprecedented due to its size and scale, creating the largest span of command at his rank and the largest policing district outside of London.

In February 2016, Mabs was promoted to Chief Superintendent and appointed as the District Commander for Wakefield.

As a regional board member of HRH Prince of Wales charity 'Mosaic', he has created a nationally recognised offender mentoring programme for Muslim prisoners across the Yorkshire region which has received national recognition. 

Creating a unique partnership between West Yorkshire Police and the charity, mentors from all walks of life now work with offenders within prisons and the community providing support and guidance to break the cycle of offending within our communities.

Chief Superintendent Mabs Hussain, Wakefield District Commander, said: “I am honoured to have been nominated for this award alongside three esteemed colleagues from other Forces across the UK and the Armed Forces.

“I am proud of what I have achieved so far throughout my career with West Yorkshire Police and looking forward to the challenges ahead.

“I would like to wish all who have been nominated the best of luck at the awards ceremony.”

Introducing West Yorkshire’s youngest Chief Superintendent

BUSY AT WORK: Mabs has spent 20 years in the police force and is now the youngest Chief Superintendent in the county

New district commander outlines plans for Wakefield

To be in charge of policing an area with a population of over 300,000, at a time of cuts, media scrutiny and ever-more hard to trace crimes, is something very few people could handle. For Mabs Hussain, it is just another day at the office.

The 42-year-old Chief Superintendent is the new District Commander for Wakefield – the 15th most populous district in the UK.

Overseeing all operations from the ground up, it is Mabs’ job to ensure the area’s ‘seven towns’ are policed thoroughly, with a focus on preventing and detecting crimes.

He was promoted from his job as Superintendent in Leeds earlier this year after serving 20 years in the force and has spent the past month acquainting himself with his new West Yorkshire colleagues.

Speaking to the Asian Express about what he envisions for the future of policing in Wakefield, Mabs said there were three steps he was aiming to follow.

“My priorities are like anybody else’s,” he said. “You always want to leave some form of legacy and I just want to do the best possible job I can.

“I look back at [Sir Robert] Peel’s principles of policing, namely protecting the most vulnerable in our communities by preventing and detecting crime, with greater focus on safeguarding issues - like domestic violence - across the district.

“My second priority is neighbourhood policing which is at the heart of what we do. I’m keen to protect our neighbourhood policing style to ensure we meet the needs of communities and address their concerns.

“I’m a family man myself and I understand the needs and concerns of the people across the county, will be the same as mine.”

He added: “Finally, my third priority is to manage the impact of the budget cuts. I want to continue building a leadership team of all ranks and with partners who are able to respond and address that impact.”

To meet this final target, Mabs faces a tougher challenge than many of his predecessors, with the district seeing a 14.5 per cent budget cut over the past five years.

IN CHARGE: Mabs Hussain is the new Chief Superintendent District Commander for the Wakefield area

However, with £29.5million still to be utilised effectively, the responsibility remains immense.

He said: “As a district commander, it is my job to make sure that the impact of any budget cuts are managed properly. We still need to deliver the best possible service we can with the resources we have.

“If this means we have to adjust our response and our policing style, then that is what we will do.”

Originally from Girlington in Bradford, Mabs began his venture in the police force as a Police Constable in Odsal.

Rising up through the ranks, he has over two decades worth of experience policing in Leeds and Bradford.

Although Wakefield is but a stone’s throw away from the nearby cities, policing in the area is a ‘different ball game’ according to Mabs, yet one he is looking forward to playing.

“I’ve been here since 22nd February and although it’s not as busy as Leeds, which was challenging, there is a different type of pressure and responsibility,” he said.

“Day-to-day policing wise, there are different resources to deal with different demands of work and from the public.

“It’s going very well so far and the more I settle in, the more I’m starting to understand how the district is structured and what opportunities we have to develop further as a force here.”

Mabs is determined to continue acting as a role model for other aspiring officers, and is backing the recruitment campaign - ‘Positive Action’, encouraging more people of a BME background to become police officers.

From the hesitation he had when handing in his application to the police station in 1996 to walking into his ‘spacious office’ in Normanton today, Mabs has seen all levels of the police and says he is ‘extremely thankful’ for the career he has had.

"It's a great privilege to be where I am today. It is a humbling feeling" he said.

"I never set out to achieve something like this, but to now be responsible for a district and having achieved this rank, it's an amazing feeling".

"It's a massive compliment to what I've achieved over the years and the effort I've put in. I still walk into my office and think 'wow it's my district'."