Meet the Met

Meet the Met is an opportunity for members of the public to put their questions to a panel of officers/staff from the Metropolitan Police Service. Specialists dedicated to working with and improving services for LGBT people in London will be on hand to answer queries on topics such as hate crime research and investigation, community engagement and working within the Met.

If you have a question about any of these issues or about general policing in your area, please come along on. You can also visit the MPS stall at BFI Southbank between 17:00 - 21:00 on the following days: March 28 & 31, April 8 & 9.

Meet the Met Panelists 

Catriona Barclay

Catriona has been a Police Constable since 1995. For the past two years she has worked in Lambeth as an LGBT Liaison Officer. She also works closely with the Spanish and Portuguese communities that live and work in her borough. This is her second year working with the BFI on London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.

Her interests include learning languages, including Portuguese and British Sign Language.

Kevin Boyle

I joined the Met on a wind swept January 3rd 1978. Currently I am a Detective Sergeant based in West London. I could have hung up my handcuffs on 3rd. January 2008 but as there is still a lot of work to be done and as I still have energy and dedication the Met is stuck with me for a few more years.

I did not become a member of the then Lesbian and Gay Police Association (LAGPA) now rebranded the Gay Police Association until many years later as to be quite honest, "I was all right jack"; I had no problems in the workplace.

I now serve on the National Executive Committee and am the London Regional Co-coordinator which effectively means I head up, at present, two other co-coordinators who try to keep apace of the work which comes into us from the Met.

To be able to celebrate events such as LGBT History Month and to reach out to audiences at the London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival is a big step forward for the police service that has advanced beyond all recognition. However we need to continue to be vigilant, sensitive, pragmatic and, on occasion, outspoken!

Gerry Campbell

Gerry Campbell currently leads the Metropolitan Police Service’s Racial & Violent Crime Task Force. He is responsible for Domestic Violence and Hate Crime policy development. He is also accountable for improving service delivery and performance outcomes at the front end across London’s 32 Boroughs.

Gerry has 19 years police service, the vast of majority of which has been focussed on policing the diverse communities of London’s East End. He has led a number of Community Safety Units and has a wealth of practical experience in working effectively with partners committed to making a difference and saving women’s lives.

Dee Caryl

Dee joined the MPS Diversity & Citizen Focus Directorate in July 2005 and is the Strand Lead for Sexual Orientation, LGBT Matters. She leads a team of three uniformed officers to take forward programmes of work supporting both operational and non-operational MPS business groups to improve community engagement and the delivery of policing services to LGBT Londoners and improve the workplace experience for LGBT colleagues.

Tanya Murray

Tanya Murray is a Detective Sergeant with 16 years service in the Metropolitan Police, mostly in the field of Child Protection, and most of that as a gay man. She transitioned four years ago and is now enjoying her new life as a woman. She is a member of the Commissioner's LGBT forum, and sits on the Association of Chief Police Officer's recently established Trans Strategic Group, informing National Police strategy on trans issues. She is also involved in developing the Met Police Trans Support Group with a view to it joining another soon-to-be-launched organisation, the National Trans Police Association.

Outside of work her interests are people, good food, a love of dancing and Irish Whiskey.

Susan Paterson

Susan has a Master of Arts Degree (Hons) in Sociology from the University of Glasgow where she specialised in both Criminology and Social Research Methods. She is currently a Senior Criminologist in the Diversity and Citizen Focus Directorate (DCFD) at the Metropolitan Police Service. Her work involves issues of disproportionality, hate crime and equality both in service delivery and employment practice. She has over 12 years experience of research in both public and commercial sectors and has written and published work on homophobia and hate crime. She is attached to Birkbeck School of Law, writing a thesis on issues related to violence motivated by homophobia, discrimination and bigotry. For eight years, Susan has been a trustee for a voluntary agency called Galop who provide advocacy and support for those experiencing homophobic or transphobic crime.

Claire Wynnick

Chief Inspector with 26 years of police service. My current role is to lead a small project team tasked to improve police response to youth offending, especially the role of police working in Youth Offending teams, which are part of a multi-agency partnership within borough children's services departments. I also oversee the MPS schools policing teams. Other work includes a project to increase the number of young people joining the police as volunteer cadets and increasing police involvement in diverting young people form crime through sport and other activities.

I have worked in many areas of London including Camden, Westminster and Haringey. My main area of expertise is community policing and partnership work. In 2004 I led the response to a series of robberies on gay men. My strategy was to engage the whole of the community using Hampstead Heath through the gay media and local engagment activity. All witnesses were contacted by a lesbian or gay police officer who provided support and a point of contact. Additional information emerged  which led to  suspect being convicted of a series of offences. I have experience of working with Independent Advisory Groups and carrying out consultation with community groups. I established the Camden Safer Neighbourhoods teams and have given guidance to MPS staff on community engagement, especially how to consult and involve the gay community.

I have also worked as a recruit trainer at Hendon, in criminal justice and courts and as a counter terrorism security advisor. I have a civil partner and have been 'out' at work since 1991, a decision that I have never regretted.