The public of Harrow were surprised to learn from the Borough Commander of Harrow,Chief Superintendent DAL BABU,at a packed meeting of the HARROW POLICE & COMMUNITY CONSULTATIVE GROUP,on January 28 that he was leaving the Borough.Harrovians were really sorry that the time had come for him to retire,after 30 years of sterling service in the Metropolitan Police Service and three and a half years of dedicated service in our borough.

He deserves to be made an honorary Harrovian.As one of the seniormost BME Police officers he has done the MET POLICE proud.

DAL BABU has made his mark on Harrow and has made some outstanding contributions including the expert handling of the demonstrations by the English Defence League ,at Harrow Central Mosque ,literally the week after he arrived and took charge of Harrow.He also has the proud record of keeping Harrow out of harm's way during the horrendous London Riots two summers ago.This,because he had worked hard to build the confidence and trust of our diverse communities and worked tirelessly in conjunction with them and key partners in our borough during those unbelievably challenging days and nights.He has always been humble and has been accepted by so many diverse groups because of his unassuming manner.Often he would be accompanied by one of his daughters,whom he loves dearly.

He was applauded  for many initiatives such as his work with youth groups, in particular the Harrow Youth Parliament and also Police Cadets.He always supported Domestic Violence and issues faced by women of all cultures.

DAL BABU helped revive Cricket and brought young people from a variety of backgrounds and cultures together building bridges between them and their local Police.He always encouraged the growth and development of our Safer Neighbourhood Teams and helped nurture Harrow Council's Neighbourhood Champions Project .Under his watch,the Local Authority and Police became close partners.

He will be fondly remembered, in particular, for the manner in which he engaged very closely with all our communities and won their confidence.He was a familiar sight at all sorts of functions be it the  Navaratri procession at Diwali ,special occasions at the Zoroastrian Centre or at the Harrow Central Mosque.

Therefore,it is hardly surprising that the confidence and satisfaction level of the public in Harrow zoomed from 20% when he took office to around 80% or more at the time he decided to leave Harrow.This was also reflected internally in staff surveys.Many have fond memories of the effortless manner in which he set about winning people's trust and confidence---not least the YOUTH of Harrow.He had a passion for young people and devoted much effort and time to helping and supporting them.Encouraged the use of football and cricket to enagage yougsters.

DAL BABU was often spotted cycling round the borough and happily gave up the use of his Police car so that it could be added to the pool for other police duties.He readily attended a huge number of functions held by the enormously diverse communities in Harrow.It is hard to believe that he lived in Haringey and not Harrow.He made special efforts to be part of our community and listened intently to what mattered to the peoples of Harrow.

He often raised monies for Charity and even cycled to Paris one year to support the Mayor of Harrow's Fund.DAL BABU will be sadly missed by all those who have known him.He has made a huge contribution and served this brough most diligently.

He has left a lasting legacy ----MOTHERS AGAINST GANGS----which we will no doubt  treasure for many years to come.DAL BABU is Trustee of this precious resource ,which he helped initiate along with the Headmaster of Harrow Boys School,Mr Hawkins.Through this he will remain a part of Harrow even after leaving as its top cop.

 

His style of community engagement is second to none.DAL BABU will be a hard act to follow!We wish him a fond farewell and God speed in all his future works.