This article will tell you about the British sprinter Bianca Williams and her recent controversy.
Bianca Williams, 29, is a British athlete who has competed for England in a number of events.
She participated for England at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, winning bronze medals in the 200-metre race and the 4×100-metre relay.
She went on to win two additional medals with the British squad at the World Relays of the International Association of Athletics Federation in 2014 and 2015.
Williams is married to Ricardo dos Santos, a Portuguese sprinter with whom she has a kid.
Why Did Police Arrest Bianca Williams And Her Partner?
Williams and her boyfriend were stopped and searched by Metropolitan Police officers on their way home from a training session with their newborn son on July 4, 2020.
The couple was handcuffed and searched on suspicion of possessing drugs and weapons, but nothing was discovered.
Linford Christie, a fellow athlete, went on to tweet a video recorded by Williams of them being held and searched, with the caption: “Racist police aren’t just in America, #BLM.”
Williams went on to speak with journalists about her experience, accusing police of using violence against her and her family and racially stereotyping them.
The Met went on to add that Williams’ car was driving on the wrong side of the road and that when she was requested to stop, she sped away. They also stated that the Directorate of Professional Standards had evaluated the stop-and-search video and determined that there was no cause for concern.
Because of the growing public interest in the incident, the Met voluntarily referred it to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) on July 7, 2020.
Investigation Process
This year’s disciplinary hearing began in mid-September. It was found throughout the hearings that two of the five officers under investigation had lied about smelling cannabis during the event.
They were fired as a result of the gross misbehavior they were determined to have committed. In response to the verdict, IOPC director Steve Noonan stated: “I want to acknowledge Bianca and Ricardo who, having spoken out about their experience, showed considerable patience and determination while they waited for the outcome of their complaint.
“The stop and search in which they were both handcuffed, in front of their infant child, was clearly highly distressing for them and also caused widespread community concern about the use of stop and search powers by police.” Noonan went on to share that the officers “have now been publicly held accountable for their actions”.
He added: “We know that Black people are almost nine times more likely to be stopped and searched by police than White people, and nearly nine times more likely to be searched for drugs, despite a lower find rate of drugs for Black people than White people. The officers in this case claimed they smelled cannabis in the athletes’ car despite no drugs being found in the search.
“It’s figures like these and cases like Bianca and Ricardo’s which emphasize why Black people report having low trust and confidence in policing.”
Did The Cops Get Any Punishment?
The Two Metropolitan Police officers were fired after being found guilty of gross misconduct in connection with a stop and search of two black athletes.
Bianca Williams of Team GB and Olympic sprinter Ricardo dos Santos were stopped and searched in 2020.
They then filed a complaint with the police watchdog, claiming they were racially targeted during the “disturbing” event.
PC Jonathan Clapham and PC Sam Franks, the two officers involved, have now been fired after a disciplinary process showed that they lied about important parts of the incident.
Here’s an in-depth look at who Bianca Williams is, what happened to her and her partner in 2020, and what the UK’s stop and search regulations are.
