BEVERLEY
DOU GLAS
Author · Mentor · Presenter
Beverley Douglas is a retired police officer, author, and lifelong advocate for justice. Born and raised in Bristol, she is the youngest of nine children in a Jamaican family whose parents came to Britain as part of the Windrush generation.
Despite facing challenges within the education system, Beverley went on to build a career in policing, education, and public service. In 1983, just three years after the St Pauls riots, she became one of the first Black women to join Avon and Somerset Constabulary as a Special Constable. Five years later, she joined the force full-time and went on to serve for more than thirty years in frontline policing, mentoring, and community and school engagement.
Throughout her career, Beverley was a passionate advocate for equality and inclusion. She held several leadership roles within police staff associations, including Chair of the Black Police Association. In 2007, she coordinated the National BPA Conference in Bristol, marking the bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade. She later served as Deputy Chair of the Legacy Commission, supporting initiatives to tackle inequality across African-Caribbean, Asian, and African communities.
Her mentoring work, particularly with young people at risk of exclusion from school, has had a lasting impact, with many going on to succeed in higher education and professional careers.
Beverley is the author of two memoirs. Her debut book, Cutie (2021), is a vibrant, humorous, and poignant portrait of childhood in inner-city Bristol, celebrating community, heritage, resilience, and belonging. Her second memoir, PC Bev (2025), is a candid and powerful account of her thirty-year policing career, offering a unique perspective on service, identity, and perseverance.
She is a regular presenter of The Real Women Show on Bristol Community Radio 93.2FM, a committee member of a Bristol-based charity, and contributed as a police procedure adviser to the Apple TV series Criminal Record. Beverley continues to write, mentor, and speak about her experiences, dividing her time between the culturally diverse city of Bristol and the rustic island of Gozo, Malta.
Beverley on BCFM
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