Any officer would have stopped Bianca Williams's car, Cressida Dick says of viral video

22 July 2020, 09:44 | Updated: 22 July 2020, 10:36

Met Commissioner: The stop-and-search of sprinter Bianca Williams wasn't racist

By Megan White

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick has said she “doesn’t accept” that a video of athlete Bianca Williams being stopped in London “reveals racism.”

Speaking to LBC’s Nick Ferrari, Dame Cressida said she believed “any officer worth their salt would have stopped that car being driven in that manner.”

Ms Williams, a Team GB sprinter, accused the Met of racial profiling after she and her partner were pulled over and handcuffed while driving with their baby in the car.

She said officers spoke to Ricardo dos Santos “like he was scum, dirt on their shoe.”

The Met apologised to Ms Williams for the distress caused by the incident and referred itself to the Independent Office of Police Conduct.

Dame Cressida said it was “quite right” that the police watchdog was investigating but said her “professional standards people have looked at it and they don’t see any misconduct.”

The British athlete stopped by police "for being black"

One caller asked: “I believe that what happened with Bianca Williams in the footage revealed there is still problems with racism within the police force. Would you commit to more positive action to recruit more black, ethnic minority and all diverse recruits into your police force?”

The Commissioner said: “I don’t personally accept that what we have seen so far on the video in relation to the stop of Ms Williams reveals racism.

“As you may know, the Independent Office of Police Conduct are looking at this, and I of course wait to see what they say.

“However, having seen some of the footage myself, I would say that any officer worth their salt would have stopped that car that was being driven in that manner.

“Secondly, my professional standards people have looked at it and they don’t see any misconduct.

“What I do recognise is of course is that Bianca Williams was quite patently, as we all saw on the video which went viral, distressed by the whole matter, and as one human being to another, I apologised to Bianca Williams.

Ms Williams, a Team GB sprinter, accused the Met of racial profiling
Ms Williams, a Team GB sprinter, accused the Met of racial profiling. Picture: PA

“Nobody likes seeing somebody distressed, whatever the circumstances. We are a compassionate organisation.”

When challenged about whether her apology “made her officers guilty,” Dame Cressida responded: “I was very clear – I apologised for the distress that she suffered, the distress that was caused.”

The British athlete stopped by police "for being black"

She added: “I did not throw them under the bus and I support them fully in doing stop and search, doing it effectively, doing it in an intelligence-led way, doing it professionally.

“It’s had some fantastic results over the last couple of years decreasing knife crime affecting young people across the streets of London.

“However, it is appropriate that when she has made a complaint, we don’t think our officers have done anything wrong at all, and we find it frustrating as they do that small videos are put out there and actually we have seen a whole load of other material in relation to an incident, in particular this incident, which would suggest another way of looking at this than the sort of instant reaction from people on their armchairs.

“It’s quite right that the Independent Office of Police Conduct are having a look at it.”

Addressing the caller’s question about recruiting BAME officers, Dame Cressida said: “Absolutely – as I said, we already have 8,000 people in the Met who are from black and minority ethnic backgrounds.

“5,000 officers, which is an absolute record, and more than 50 per cent of the BAME officers in the country are in the Met and I want more.

“We’ve been doing all kinds of positive action to get more, we’re recruiting now, and we are looking for more and more.

“In the last year we’ve had record numbers coming in which is brilliant.”

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Passengers escape Flipped over Delta plane after it crashed while landing in Toronto

'We were hanging upside down like bats': Survivors reveal fear and chaos inside flipped over Delta plane

Breaking
England's top judge slams Starmer and Badenoch over Gaza family immigration comments

England's top judge slams Starmer and Badenoch over Gaza family immigration comments

Craig and Lindsay Foreman

British couple on round-the-world motorbike adventure charged with espionage by Iranian authorities

An assistant referee has been charged with child sexual offences.

Assistant referee for FA Cup and football league games charged with child sexual offence

Corinna Schumacher, right, has broken her silence on the case involving a plot to reveal Formula One star Michael Schumacher's health secrets.

Michael Schumacher's wife breaks silence after three men guilty of blackmail plot to reveal F1 legend's health secrets

Doctor Who

Doctor Who faces axe as Nucti Gatwa 'quits' show amid drop in ratings over 'woke' storylines

Pope Francis

Pope Francis cancels weekend engagements as hospital stay extended

Bristol, UK. 19th Mar, 2020. Petrol now under £1 a litre as the drop in oil prices hits the forecourt. 99.9p a litre at Costco, Avonmouth, Bristol. Credit: Julian Kemp/Alamy Live News

Ten people injured after 'noxious substance' thrown in Costco as police hold teenage suspect

Alhaurin El Grande Malaga Province Spain Church of Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación

Heartbreak as Brit pensioner, 90, 'starves to death in her Spanish home' as son, 63, 'found dead in property'

E-scooters are currently illegal to use on the public highways including pavements.

E-scooters blamed for 'shocking' surge in uninsured teen riders with 2,000% increase in offences

Thames Water has won court approval for a £3 billion emergency debt package as the nation's biggest water company scrambles to avoid collapse.

Thames Water handed £3 billion lifeline as court approves restructuring plans to save it from financial collapse

US and Russia begin talks about Ukraine in Saudi Arabia

Vladimir Putin 'ready to meet Zelenskyy', Moscow says as Russia-US peace talks underway

A drone view of Everton's new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock during an Everton under-18 friendly match test event.

Everton's new stadium makes its grand debut after £800million and four years

Job Centre Plus, London Road, Twickenham, Greater London, England, Great Britain, United Kingdom UK, Europe

UK wages see unexpected rise as unemployment rate holds steady at 4.4 per cent

Placebo band leader Brian Molko has been charged with defamation for calling the Italian PM a fascist and a Nazi during a gig.

British rock star Brian Molko charged after 'calling Italian PM a piece of s*** fascist and a Nazi' during gig

Exclusive
Short sentences and recall periods are keeping offenders in a longer cycle of going to jail, LBC has heard.

'It sent me back to square one': Short sentences create endless cycle of jail time, inmates tell LBC