Meet Ralph Ramadhar – the first black police officer in Birmingham in 1966
Ralph Ramadhar was the first black officer in Birmingham after joining in 1966 and achieved almost 30 commendations for outstanding police work.
The father-of-two later became one of the first black Sergeants in the country before leaving in 1977 after 11 years to return to his native Trinidad. Sadly Ralph, who identified as black-Indian, passed away just a decade later aged 49.
His legacy has proven an inspiration to others including his nephew Chris Ramadhar who has gone on to serve as a West Midlands Police officer. He has since returned in a police staff role following retirement from frontline duties.
Chris initially joined in 1993 and started as a PC in Walsall with roles in neighbourhood, response and proactive crime tackling teams.
He also spent time within the traffic unit and CID before spending the final few years of his operational policing at Warwickshire Police as a Detective Sergeant.
After retiring the now 58-year-old has returned to us in an analysis role and ensures the connection with the Ramadhar family continues.
Policing is certainly in the family as his sister and brother-in-law were also officers at another force while his son-in-law is an active police officer down south.
Chris said: “I remember as a child saying I want to be like Uncle Ralph and I take great pride in following in his footsteps.
“When he joined he would have stuck out as different and faced challenges. But from all I've heard he overcame any situation and concentrated on making a difference to the community he loved.
"I think that helped inspire me to also join policing and it's something I've never regretted. I’ve always enjoyed being able to solve crimes and help the public.
“Clearly our family has policing in its blood and it all started with Uncle Ralph who led the way for us and many others.”
This year marks the 50th anniversary of West Midlands Police.
A spokesman for the force said: "We're marking this special occasion with a range of activity throughout 2024 to showcase our heritage and highlight how policing has changed and progressed."
The force will be celebrating its past in a variety of ways with regular features, events and activities particularly at West Midlands Police Museum.
For all the latest information on the 50th anniversary remembrances and celebrations follow #WeAre50 on the force’s X account. You can find out more here: https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/wmp-jobs.
