Bianca Williams: Police want to hear sprinter concerns after car stop and search

The Metropolitan Police want to talk to Bianca Williams and Ricardo Dos Santos to hear their concerns after they expressed their anger at the way they were stopped by officers at the weekend.

Commonwealth Games gold medallist Williams and her partner Dos Santos, a Portuguese 400m record holder, were driving through Maida Vale in London with their three-month-old son on Saturday when they were pulled over.

Team GB sprinter Williams told Sky News on Monday that she felt Met Police commissioner Cressida Dick should consider stepping down.

The 26-year-old athlete said: “There’s been so much going on in the media and she’s not really had anything to say or had an open letter.”

The sprinter said the “horrific” incident had left her “really scared” and made her feel “like we were the scum of their shoe”.

The police released a statement later on Monday with the commander for Central West Helen Harper saying they were “really keen to speak personally to the occupants of the vehicle to discuss what happened and the concerns they have”.

They added: “We’re making efforts today to try to contact them but would also ask them to please get in touch as soon as they can.

“The Directorate of Professional Standards reviewed the stop and were content there were no misconduct issues – today they have revisited the officers’ body worn video footage, social media footage and details of the incident to satisfy ourselves that remains the case.

“However, that does not mean there isn’t something to be learnt from every interaction we have with the public. We want to listen to, and speak with, those who raise concerns, to understand more about the issues raised and what more we can do to explain police actions.

“Where we could have interacted in a better way, we need to consider what we should have done differently and take on that learning for the future.”

Footage of the incident was posted by former Olympic gold medallist Linford Christie, appearing to show the couple being pulled out of a car in a London street.

Williams tells officers “he didn’t do anything” but she grows increasingly distressed about her son remaining in the car.

She shouts: “My son is in the car… I don’t want you to look after him,” while officers tell her to “relax” and “get out of the car”.

Speaking after the incident, Williams said: “The fact that I was going to be separated from my son, I couldn’t bear that.

“The mother instinct in me just kicked in and I refused and I wanted to stay with my son. I haven’t been able to watch the video back properly, because it breaks my heart hearing my voice and how upset I was.

“I’m still upset. I’m still heartbroken by the fact they removed me from my three-month-old baby, who has no idea what’s going on.

“My worry is that if he was a bit older, maybe three or four, he’d be traumatised and he’d be so scared.”

The Metropolitan Police said officers had seen a vehicle with blacked-out windows that was driving on the wrong side of the road.

The force said the car was “driving suspiciously”, had failed to stop, and then made off at speed.

“Each stop is dealt with on its own merits at the discretion of the individual officers involved, taking into account various aspects including behaviour and compliance,” the force said.

“Officers have to make these judgement calls regularly on a daily basis, often in difficult circumstances.”

(c) Sky Sports 2020: Bianca Williams: Police want to hear sprinter concerns after car stop and search