Met refers stop and search of GB sprinter to watchdog
SCOTLAND YARD has referred itself to the police watchdog after a Team GB sprinter complained that she was the victim of racial profiling during a stop and search.
Bianca Williams, a Commonwealth medallist, claimed she and her partner, Ricardo dos Santos, who is also a sprinter, were stopped in west London on Saturday because they were black and driving a Mercedes.
The Met last night confirmed that it had made a voluntary referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). It said it would welcome inde- pendent scrutiny, noting that two reviews by its own standards directorate found no evidence of misconduct.
Ken Marsh, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, suggested reaction to Ms Williams’s case had been “ramped up” because of her celebrity status, warning that it could send a message that her reaction, when pulled over by the police, was acceptable.
Ms Williams, 26, whose threemonth-old son was also in the car, is keen to pursue legal action against the police and met their legal team yesterday, The Daily Telegraph understands. David Lammy, the shadow justice secretary, described a video recording of the incident as “shocking footage that anyone in their right mind would be alarmed about”.
Mr Marsh insisted officers did nothing wrong. He said the car had blackedout windows, making it impossible to see whether the people inside were “black, white, yellow, pink or orange”. He added: “Screaming does not (help) the police do what they are doing.”
Sal Naseem, IOPC regional director, said: “We will be independently examining whether use of stop-and-search on this occasion was appropriate and proportionate in line with approved police policies. We will also investigate if racial profiling or discrimination played a part.”