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26/7/05
7:49 pm
Page 70
Drum: IN FOCUS
Superintendent Leroy Logan is the
Wearing the tag of London’s first
employers nearly crippled the Met.
the police to task.
L
eroy Logan straddles that unusual position
between being respected by the men and
having that X-factor that women respond
to. A lifetime of discipline, faith, dedication and
strategy has landed Logan one of the most highprofile positions in modern policing. Having been
promoted to Superintendent of London’s Hackney
Borough, Logan is in command of 800 police officers
in one of the UK’s most challenging policing hotspots. A diverse community meant this area in north
London was the home of Murder Mile, an area
running off Lower Clapton Road that was notorious
for its violence.
In the months since taking the position, Logan has
had a lot of time to reflect on a career that has seen
him make national headlines. Coming to Hackney
was a homecoming of sorts. Logan was raised a north
Londoner and served six years as a Sergeant from
1991 to 1997 when he left after being promoted to
Inspector in Westminster.
Why an officer called the ‘black commissioner’ by
some in the community would go to Hackney is
a question that I am apparently not the first to
ask. “My appointment is a result of my desire
to be here. I believe I can add value. Even
falling flat on your face is forward
momentum.” In less than a year since his