Three Metropolitan Police officers face gross misconduct inquiry over Bianca Williams search

Williams accused the officers of racism, saying the problem comes from the ‘top’ of the Metropolitan police force

Three of the six police officers who stopped, searched and handcuffed athlete Bianca Williams and her partner are under investigation for gross misconduct.

The British sprinter and her partner, the Portuguese sprinter Ricardo dos Santos, were searched last July on suspicion of having drugs and weapons while driving through west London with their three-month-old son in the back seat.

No drugs or weapons were found and an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) for potential misconduct, which started last October, found that the Metropolitan Police put their three-month-old son on a database that stores information on children known to the police.

Ms Williams, 27, accused officers of racial profiling and suggested she and her partner were pulled over for a weapons search because they were black and driving a Mercedes.

The three police officers are now subject to a gross misconduct investigation over “potential breaches of police standards of professional behaviour”, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has said.

At the time, Met police commissioner, Cressida Dick, defended the officers in question, stating: “any officer worth their salt would have stopped that car”.

Investigators have since reviewed video from the police vehicle, body camera footage from the officers and data from both vehicles.

Ms Williams told said she does not believe the “problem of racism” in the Metropolitan police“ will not be addressed or tackled “under this commissioner.”

“It felt like there was a campaign led by the police commissioner to discredit us and shut down our complaint,” she told The Guardian.

A statement from the IOPC said: “Three Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) officers are now subject to a gross misconduct investigation for potential breaches of police standards of professional behaviour.

“The three officers were already subject to a misconduct investigation for various potential breaches of police standards of professional behaviour relating to the use of force; duties and responsibilities; and authority, respect and courtesy.

“After reviewing a range of new evidence, they were informed they are now subject to an investigation for potential breaches of the police standards of professional behaviour relating to equality and diversity, which requires officers to act with fairness and impartiality and not to discriminate unlawfully or unfairly.

It added that two of the three officers are also being investigated for “potential breaches of the standards relating to honesty and integrity”.

“Collectively, these alleged breaches amount to potential gross misconduct,” it said.

An additional fourth officer is being investigated for potential breaches of the standards relating to equality and diversity, and duties and responsibilities and two others are also being investigated for potential breaches of police standards of professional behaviour relating to use of force; duties and responsibilities; and authority, respect and courtesy.

The Met Police told The Independent: “We are aware three MPS officers are subject to a gross misconduct investigation by the IOPC in relation to this matter.

“Another three officers are being investigated for misconduct for potential breaches of standards of professional standards.

“The MPS continues to fully co-operate with the IOPC investigation.

“No officer is suspended or subject to restricted duties.”