New branch workplace representative Krishna Chauhan says she will use her Federation role to strengthen her commitment to equality and fairness for all within South Wales Police.
Recently reaching a quarter of a century as a cop, Krishna has worked across three different forces. She says she entered policing to become a trailblazer for Asian women, with this inspiring everything she has done since her first day on the job and, over time, she felt more able to use her voice for good.
“I think for a while now, I’ve been at a point in my career where I feel confident enough to speak up for what I believe in,” Krishna said.
“I have always been passionate about the same things, but earlier in my career I was happy for people to look at the results of what I had done, rather than me personally.
“That’s what has led to me pick up more front-and-centre roles along the way, and I’m very proud this position as a Fed rep is my latest one.
“So far, it’s been all about raising awareness of what value the Federation can bring to an officer’s professional life – which is perfect, because I’ve always wanted to make life better for others.”
After her first posting on response in the Metropolitan Police Service, Krishna completed a detective pathway in 2003, going on to work in mainstream CID, community safety and child abuse investigation.
One of her greatest achievements came when she made legal history with the first-ever victimless prosecution of an attempted rape, earning herself a commendation from the Met’s then deputy commissioner, Sir Tim Goodwin.
The mother-of-two and grandmother-of-two later trained as a family liaison officer, with her first deployment being to the loved ones of a young Mauritanian woman who had been killed in the 2005 London bombings.
“I’ve never wanted to shy away from big jobs, and I’ve always tried to make a genuine impact from the off,” she added.
“Being that link between investigation and a family in crisis – be it a missing person, a death or another serious offence – made me even hungrier to help the public when they’re in need of connection.
“I have constantly looked for ways in which the police can build relationships with harder-to-reach communities – an example being the Ahmadiyya community, who follow a lesser-known branch of Islam, during a high-profile missing person investigation.”
As Krishna’s career has progressed, she has also reached out to people of minority within the police.
She has held active membership within the National Black Police Association, the Metropolitan Black Police Association and, following a move to Wales, the Gwent Police Ethnic Minority Association – taking on the role of chair in 2016.
Now at South Wales Police – and currently working in Cardiff and the Vale’s Integrated Offender Management as a detective sergeant – Krishna leads the Force’s Women of Colour in Policing (WoCiP) group, which she founded in 2022.
This has allowed Krishna – a practising Hindu – to collaborate with the Force’s equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) team on various projects, including religious celebrations and awards ceremonies.
“I know how important it is to be seen and valued in your place of work, because I have suffered the exact opposite with both racism and sexism,” she says.
“Despite how unpleasant these experiences were, I want to draw on them to help Federation members get justice when they receive mistreatment of any kind. I want to make people see the Fed as an organisation which will always fight your corner.
“There may be some challenges with the current perception at national level, but I think that local connection between the branch and its membership can always remain strong.”
Rounding off, Krishna pinpointed one theme she wants her time as a workplace rep to be defined by.
“I always speak about active allyship, because I think it is more incumbent than ever to stand up and change a culture which damages certain parts of the workforce,” she explains.
“While I am in this position, I want every Fed member to know you have a friend in me. If you need someone to speak up for you – no matter how insignificant your problem may feel – I will be by your side.”