Neil Basu
{{short description|British police officer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox police officer
|honorific_prefix =
|name = Neil Basu
|honorific_suffix = {{postnom|country=GBR|size=100%|QPM}}
|image = National Policing Board 2019 (Basu and Owens cropped).jpg
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|caption = Basu (rear) in 2019
|birth_name =
|birth_date = {{birth year and age|1968}}
|birth_place = United Kingdom
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|service = United Kingdom
|allegiance =
|department = Metropolitan Police
|branch =
|serviceyears = 1992–2022
|status =
|rank = Assistant Commissioner (Specialist Operations)
|badge =
|awards = Queen's Police Medal
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Anil Kanti "Neil" Basu {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|QPM}} (born 1968) is a former senior British police officer.
From March 2018 to September 2021, he served as Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations in the Metropolitan Police and the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for Counter Terrorism Policing.{{Cite web |date=2022-02-02 |title=Reconnecting the global security industry at International Security Expo – International Security Journal (ISJ) |url=https://internationalsecurityjournal.com/reconnecting-the-global-security-industry-at-international-security-expo/ |access-date=2022-02-02 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202191829/https://internationalsecurityjournal.com/reconnecting-the-global-security-industry-at-international-security-expo/ |archive-date=2 February 2022 |url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|title=About the Met – Senior management team|url=https://www.met.police.uk/police-forces/metropolitan-police/areas/about-us/about-the-met/senior-management-team/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220116032338/https://www.met.police.uk/police-forces/metropolitan-police/areas/about-us/about-the-met/senior-management-team/|archive-date=16 January 2022|access-date=2 February 2022|website=Metropolitan Police}}
Basu left the Metropolitan Police at the end of November 2022. {{Cite web|title= Meghan Markle faced credible threats to her life|url= https://www.channel4.com/news/exclusive-meghan-markle-faced-credible-threats-to-her-life-says-former-head-of-counter-terrorism|website=Channel 4 News|date= 29 November 2022|accessdate=30 November 2022}}
Career
Basu became a police officer in 1992, and has spent his whole career serving with the Metropolitan Police Service.{{cite web |title=Basu, Anil Kanti, (Neil) |url=https://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-290682 |website=Who's Who 2020 |publisher=Oxford University Press |access-date=30 November 2019 |language=en |doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U290682 |date=1 December 2019|isbn=978-0-19-954088-4 }}{{cite news |title=New counter-terrorism chief appointed |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43290267 |work=BBC News |access-date=30 November 2019 |date=5 March 2018}} He was the most senior serving British police officer of Asian heritage: his father was from Calcutta, India and his mother was from Wales.{{cite web |last1=Shaw |first1=Danny |title=Top Asian officer's 'daily' racial abuse |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48356281 |website=BBC News |access-date=30 November 2019 |date=21 May 2019}}{{cite news |last1=Evans |first1=Martin |title=Profile: Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu, the man who quietly rose to become Britain's anti-terror chief |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/07/15/profile-assistant-commissioner-neil-basu/ |access-date=30 November 2019 |work=The Telegraph |date=15 July 2019}}
During the George Floyd protests, Basu spoke out about racism in policing, stating he was "horrified" by George Floyd's murder.{{cite news |last1=Basu |first1=Neil |title=Police must view legitimate anger with care – we need to listen to our communities|url= https://www.theguardian.com/global/2020/jun/09/police-must-view-legitimate-anger-with-care-we-need-to-listen-to-our-communities|work=The Guardian |access-date=27 May 2022 |date=9 June 2020}}
Basu has stated he believes British policing is institutionally racist, criticising other senior British police officers for their reluctance to agree.{{cite news |last1=Basu |first1=Neil |title=British policing is institutionally racist. Until we admit it we'll never win back trust|url= https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/may/25/race-action-plan-police-accept-institutionally-racist|work=The Guardian|access-date=27 May 2022 |date=26 May 2022}}{{cite news |last1=Dodd |first1=Vikram |title=Neil Basu's bid for crime agency top job ends after alleged No 10 intervention|url= https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/may/26/neil-basus-bid-for-agency-top-job-ends-after-alleged-no-10-intervention|work=The Guardian |access-date=27 May 2022 |date=25 May 2022}}
Following the resignation of Lynne Owens as Director-General of the National Crime Agency, Basu was one of the final candidates under consideration to replace Owens, until the Home Office restarted the selection process in May 2022.
In 2025, Basu called for a full public inquiry into group based child sexual exploitation, but stressed they shouldn't become "elongated", and argued that "political correctness" prevented the police from doing their jobs, especially in regards to protecting white working class children from abuse. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/04/11/neil-basu-daily-t-podcast-ex-police-chief-immigration
Personal Life
Basu attended Nottingham University. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/04/11/neil-basu-daily-t-podcast-ex-police-chief-immigration
Honours
| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;" | ||
| style="background:silver;" align="center"
|Ribbon | Description | Notes |
| 40px | Queen's Police Medal (QPM) | * For Distinguished Service |
| 40px | Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal | * 2002
|
| 40px | Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal | * 2012
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| 40px | Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal | * 2022
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| 40px | Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal |
References
{{reflist}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-civ|pol}}
{{s-bef
| before = Mark Rowley
}}
{{s-ttl
| title = Assistant Commissioner (Specialist Operations)
Metropolitan Police Service
| years = 2018 to 2021
}}
{{S-aft
| after = Matt Jukes
}}
{{s-end}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Basu, Neil}}
Category:Assistant Commissioners of Police of the Metropolis
Category:British people of Indian descent
Category:Counterterrorism in the United Kingdom
Category:English recipients of the Queen's Police Medal
Category:Metropolitan Police recipients of the Queen's Police Medal
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