Off The Beat

About the book

If you can't change a system from the inside, you have no choice but to try and change it from the outside. That act starts with telling my own story as a brown Muslim woman in the Met.

'A devastating critique of the Met'
Mail on Sunday

'Nusrit Mehtab has gone through the Met like a force of nature...Her story is one worth reading.'
HH Wendy Joseph KC, author of Unlawful Killings

'Off The Beat lifts the filthy carpets at the Met Police and shines a light on the darkness below. Gripping, fascinating and crucial to the future of UK policing.'
Alice Vinten, author of On the Line.

'A disturbing account of institutionalised sexism and racism in the Metropolitan police told from the perspective of a tough and fiercely ambitious officer who strove to rise up through the ranks'
Harriet Wistrich, author of Sister in Law

When Nusrit Mehtab joined the Metropolitan Police, the organization was rife with racism and misogyny. Officers refused to patrol with her, or even call her by her name. Her attempts to get promoted were met with hostility and ridicule, and she was subjected to cruel pranks.

As the years passed and her seniority grew, Nusrit was dismayed to find that these problems got worse, not better. In this searing memoir, she recounts her thirty years in the Met and the appalling treatment she endured. Now lecturing young recruits in criminology and mentoring BAME officers, Nusrit is confident that we can mould the next generation to create a more inclusive police force, safer for both the officers and the public.

Full of deeply shocking stories from the heart of the organization, Off the Beat shines a light on an institution that has lost sight of its mission to protect us and pleads the case for a brighter and safer future.