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News > United Kingdom

UK Policemen To Be Tried For Athlete's Arbitrary Arrest

  • Sprinter Bianca Williams, U.K.

    Sprinter Bianca Williams, U.K. | Photo: Twitter/ @noticiaaominuto

Published 27 April 2022
Opinion

In July 2020, these officers handcuffed and registered the car of Williams and her husband Dos Santos for over 45 minutes for considering that the vehicle was being driven in a "suspicious manner."

On Wednesday, five London Metropolitan Police officers will appear before a disciplinary committee for arbitrarily detaining Black athlete Bianca Williams and her husband Ricardo Dos Santos on July 4, 2020.

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The Police agents stopped the couple's car, who were returning with their three-month baby from a training session, for considering that the vehicle was being driven in a "suspicious manner."

Besides handcuffing Williams and Dos Santos, the officers used excessive force against them and searched for suspect substances or objects in their car for over 45 minutes.

Williams, a relay gold medalist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and 2018 European Championships, filed a complaint against the officers whom she accused of discrimination and abuse of power.

The tweet reads, "British sprinter Bianca Williams shared a video showing the Scotland Yard (the London Police) aggressively addressing her and her husband, also athlete Ricardo dos Santos. She says that after Ricardo bought a Mercedes, he has been stopped 15 times by the Police."

“Such police attitudes cannot be justified or normalized. I welcome the start of investigations and trust that this decision prompts reflection towards the ethical responsibility of the Metropolitan Police,” Williams said.

Confidence in London's police service has been recently questioned by other revelations, including the arbitrary detention, abduction, raping, and murder of citizen Sarah Everard by Metropolitan officers in March 2021.

In February, an investigation by the police watchdog into Charing Cross Station revealed that a high-rank officer had messaged a female colleague to say he would rape her.

"I am affected by these incidents, which demonstrate the need to improve the leadership of our police department," London Mayor Sadiq Khan highlighted.

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