Songfacts®:

• The police were present both at the beginning of Smiley Culture's career, and at the end of his life. In 1984, he had a minor hit with "Police Officer," a tongue-in-cheek and somewhat improbable autobiographical tale. The song sees our hero stopped by the police in his native South London for driving while black. Unfortunately, he also has in his car a quantity of ganja, but happily before the embarrassing discovery can be made, one of the officers recognizes him as the man behind "Cockney Translation," and after Smiley gives the plod his autograph, he is on his merry way.
  
  Alas, in real life, there was no such happy ending. After early success he briefly hosted a TV show, then faded from the scene. In July 2010, he was charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine, an offense that always attracts a heavy sentence in Britain.
  
  In September that same year, he told the Guardian: "My hit single 'Police Officer' was a true story - the police used to take my weed. It was better than being arrested, and I made that into a hit. With 'Cockney Translation' I was a black man talking cockney. I integrated cultures even though I didn't understand it at the time. I was invited to meet the Queen, who said she listened to my records in the palace."
  
  The thought of the Queen of England listening to reggae in Buckingham Palace is rather amusing, but she would hardly be likely to listen to the Sex Pistols, now would she?
• Smiley went on to claim that after leaving the music business he went into another type of business and had diamond mine concessions in Ghana, Uganda, Liberia, Kenya and the Congo, and added, "I'm promoting a record for the Azerbaijan government." But, "Recently, I bought an expensive car in cash, which resulted in a visit by the police. It was like 'Police Officer' all over again."
  
  Alas, it appears not to have been diamonds but something else in which he was dealing, because four days after this interview he appeared at Croydon Magistrates Court on the aforementioned charge.
  
  He was due to stand trial in March 2011, but shortly before this court date he was visited at home by the police. After asking if he might go into the kitchen to make a cup of tea, he appears to have stabbed himself through the heart with a carving knife, perhaps fearing a long sentence if convicted. A sad end to what was once a promising career.
  
  "Police Officer" - which Smiley (David Emmanuel) wrote himself - was released on the Fashion label. >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Alexander Baron - London, England, for above 2