Scotland's first Asian cop started working life on Glasgow buses

“I was always very proud to wear the Corpy uniform,” he says, with a smile, referring to Glasgow Corporation, the forerunner of Glasgow City Council.

“I was actually a conductor on the trolleybuses first – it was a busy, busy time. It was very different then – people used to smoke on the upper deck.

“The back end of the bus was open, so people could jump on and off. Occasionally, someone did fall out, but not often…”

Dilawer was guest of honour at the recent open day for Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust, which is running winter tours at its Bridgeton Bus Garage home on December 10, 28 and 29, with family tours launching on December 29 too.

“It brings back happy memories being here in the garage again,” smiles Dilawer.

There were dramatic times too, he recalls – particularly the day in 1967 when an unfriendly inspector suspended the young driver for not opening his door to him at traffic lights.

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“There was a stop just a few yards away, he could have got on there but he refused and was very angry I wouldn’t open the door at the lights,” recalls Dilawer. “But you were only supposed to open the doors at the stops or in an emergency. He ordered me from my cabin and drove the bus to its destination, leaving me standing on the pavement.

“It caused quite a stushie.”

In fact, the incident sparked a protest which even made the newspapers. Around 400 staff at the Ibrox depot where Dilawer worked threatened to go on strike.

“I was quite well-known because I was part of the football team for the garage, I ran a fitness club… so I was really pleased and proud people supported me," he says.

The union got involved and Dilawer was back at work a few days later. But the incident had made him all the more determined to chase a childhood dream – of becoming a police officer.

“Ever since I was a child I dreamt of being a cop,” he says. “I always wanted to fight injustice and stand up for others.”

His application interview nearly put paid to his dream, however.

“There was nobody of a black or ethnic minority in the police at that time, and the officer in charge at the interview took one look at me, measured me and chased me, saying I was an inch too short,” he says. “But I knew I was tall enough, so I went back the next week and a different officer said I was fine.”

He grins: “I became known as the man who grew an inch in a week.”

Dilawer became Scotland’s first Asian police officer in 1970 and he went on to spend more than 30 years in the force, latterly as an inspector and within the serious organised crime department.

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He was part of the team that carried out a full-scale inspection of the Scottish police and race issues following the murder of Surjit Singh Chhokar in 1998.

Dilawer was born in Bhanoki, East Punjab, and came to Scotland in 1963 when his dad moved here for work.

He loves Glasgow, and has fond memories of working his Glasgow Cross beat as a cop in the 70s and 80s.

“I remember it was full of characters,” he grins. “And everyone was respectful – I never had a negative reaction from people.

“There was one guy, a down and out, who always slept standing up on one leg on the street. And another, a newspaper seller, who every single night would come up to me, hand me his last paper and say ‘now I can sleep in peace’ and head off home.”

Dilawer laughs: “I have no idea what he meant by that, but it was very nice of him.”

On one particular occasion, Dilawer was directing traffic on High Street, when he saw a runaway horse and cart careering towards him.

“There was a bunch of kids crossing the street, so I had to act quickly,” he says. “The guy driving it had fallen asleep because he was so drunk – so I frantically blew my whistle and got the kids out of the way. He woke up, and spent a night in the cells.”

The next day, the runaway driver came back to see Dilawer.

“I was a bit apprehensive,” he admits. “When you’ve locked someone up, you don’t know how they’re going to feel about you the next day.

“But he came up and shook my hand and said – thank you, you saved my life.”

Sport is a huge part of Dilawer’s life – as well as founding the Scottish Ethnic Minority Sports Association (SEMSA) in 1989 (he is still chairperson today) he is a director of Sport Scotland Trust Company, the national agency for sport in Scotland and vice-chair of the Sports Council for Glasgow - and he is passionate about fighting inequality. He was also a baton-bearer at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Dilawer taking part in the 2014 baton relay. (Image: Newsquest)

“Sport is a great leveller, it brings people together,” he says. “But there is still a hell of a lot of work to be done.

“I will always campaign. I’ve always tried to treat people the way I’d like to be treated myself. Life is what you make of it and I’m always learning from others, so I’ll just keep going and hopefully keep making a difference.”

You can book Glasgow Vintage Vehicle Trust tours here.