Inspirational Zara wins national award

28 August 2025

An outstanding West Midlands PC has won her second award this year with recognition from the British Association of Women in Policing (BAWP). 

Zara Basharat was crowned Inspirational Police Woman of the Year at the annual BAWP Awards in a ceremony held at the Carden Park Hotel in Cheshire.

She was commended for her dedication in supporting colleagues who suffer racial abuse on the frontline, shaped by her own experiences of being on the receiving end of such treatment herself.

In January, Zara’s work was recognised when she was presented with the Sam Hughes Inspiration in Policing Bravery Award at the West Midlands Police Federation Bravery Awards

 

PC Zara Basharat was named Inspirational Police Woman of the Year by the British Association of Women in Policing.

 

“It was a really nice feeling to be recognised once again,” Zara said. “Just like at the bravery awards, I was surrounded by so many incredible people and police officers, which makes it all even more of an honour.

“The BAWP Awards was a lovely occasion because it’s a big celebration of the unique achievements of female officers.

“The reason I won my award may be closely linked to my ethnicity as a south Asian officer, but what I’ve experienced also has a connection to my gender.

“Being a woman in the police isn’t easy, so to get this acknowledgement from the BAWP means a lot.”

Racist attacks

Zara has been subjected to racism throughout her six-year career with the Force in the form of slurs, threats and assaults.

Among the worst attacks committed against her have been the removal of her hijab, which she proudly wears as a Muslim woman, and remarks for her to ‘go back to your prayer mat’.

“These incidents have caused a lot of hurt for me, and should never be accepted by anyone,” Zara explained.

“But they have also made me want to be there for other officers who may be struggling to move past that upset.

“Sadly, my experiences are not unique, and they can have an extremely isolating effect. It’s that risk of isolation I want to combat, so no one ever feels they must swallow it up and deal with it on their own.”

Resilience programme

While she has already helped individual colleagues in this capacity, Zara also has plans to offer support at an organisational level.

Working with the Force’s Black and Asian Police Association, she intends to create a resilience programme for ethnic minority officers and supervisors, including in-person workshops and an online toolkit on how to handle adversity such as racial abuse on the job.

Zara, who works on the proactive neighbourhood team Operation Fearless in Birmingham city centre, said: “We are getting closer and should be in a position to roll the programme out later this year.

“We are also collaborating with Police Now to bring a qualified resilience coach in to lead some sessions, which will be a fantastic addition to the programme.

“Having this expertise will allow us to really tailor our sessions to the attendees present, and this is where I think a gap exists within the Force - support can sometimes lack focus and therefore be inconsistent in its impact.”

Motivation

Zara says receiving the BAWP award has served to motivate her even more.

“Of course, awards are not the reason I do any of it - the job itself or this extra work," she added.

“But it is definitely nice to feel appreciated and valued for the difference I’m trying to make, and to have had that again at such a special event is something I’m very grateful for.

“Now, I want to keep this momentum going to make sure something tangible is in place for people like myself to feel strong, confident and empowered as police officers.”

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