Kings Road signs memoir of Britain’s first black chief constable Michael Fuller

Britain’s first black chief constable, Michael Fuller, is publishing a memoir with Kings Road Publishing imprint 535.

Entitled Kill the Black One First!, it is described as "the story of how one man’s battle with the injustice of personal and institutional racism led to an enduring passion for social justice". 

Joel Simons, publisher for 535, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights from Mark Lucas at LAW, and will publish in February 2019 in hardback. 

Fuller, born to Windrush-generation Jamaican immigrants in 1959, experienced a meteoric career in policing, from the beat to the Brixton inferno, through cutting edge detective work to the frontline of drug-related crime and violence on London’s most volatile estates. He took a pivotal role in the formation of Operation Trident, which tackled gun crime and gang warfare in the Afro-Caribbean community, and later wa sappointed as chief constable of Kent.

His story, according to 535, is one of "perseverance against the odds". In it, Fuller talks about how he was able to navigate the minefield of personal and institutional racism over a 40-year period. He also presents readers with an "unflinching take on race relations in the UK", according to 535.

His publisher, Simons, said: "A story of displacement, identity and social justice, it is a timely reminder of how far we’ve come when dealing with these issues and how far we still need to go. Michael’s book will be forensic in its examination of race both on a very exciting crime-filled micro/street level, but also on a universal level, examining how we view ourselves culturally, sociologically and politically in a post-Brexit, alt-right infected world."

Fuller said: "As the UK draws ever closer to Brexit in 2019, my narrative questions what it means to belong, and if you can ever truly identify with a group which doesn’t see you as one of its own. I’d like to challenge and enlighten readers who don’t yet understand how it feels to be on the receiving end of mindless prejudice — be it overt and abusive, or of the more insidious, hidden variety. And to take those who already do on what I hope will be an equally compelling and thought-provoking personal journey."