Olympic sprinter Ricardo Dos Santos claimed "very little has changed in policing in London since the Stephen Lawrence case” outside court after a disciplinary hearing for two Metropolitan Police officers resulted in them being sacked.
PC Jonathan Clapham and PC Sam Franks were found to have committed gross misconduct over the stop-and-search of black athletes Bianca Williams and her partner Ricardo Dos Santos in Maida Vale, west London, in July 2020 while they were driving with their baby.
Ms Williams and Mr Dos Santos, both international athletes, accused the officers of racial profiling after being handcuffed and separated from their son during the stop, during which nothing was found.
PCs Jonathan Clapham and Sam Franks were found by the panel to have breached standards over integrity and honesty after lit was found they lied about smelling cannabis while searching Mr Dos Santos.
However the panel found it not proven that Pc Clapham and Pc Franks breached the standards of professional behaviour in respect of equality and diversity.
The pair were sacked by the Met within hours of the disciplinary panel's decision.
Mr Dos Santos told reporters on Wednesday afternoon outside Palestra House in London: “We’ve supported the IOPC case over the past three years and it’s highlighted what most black people are far too aware of regardless of their background, education and employment.
"They are nine times more likely to be stopped by the Met and three times more likely to be handcuffed," he said.
"The allegations made by the police officers that I was guilty of bad driving, threatening violence and drugs were dishonest. I believe these are false allegations and were based on racist stereotypes and show very little has changed in policing in London since the Stephen Lawrence case."
On the evening of April 22, 1993, a group of at least five white adolescents fatally stabbed Stephen Lawrence, 18, as he waited for a bus in Eltham, south-east London. Afterwards, it was discovered that Lawrence’s murder was completely motivated by the colour of his skin and Lawrence and his killers were not known to each other.
The Metropolitan Police’s handling of the investigations has been criticised by many, amid allegations of corrupt police conduct and racism.
Mr Dos Santos said on Wednesday: "If you can’t trust the police to be honest and accept when they have done bad and stereotype black people, what hope is there? I don’t believe that the panel has been brave enough to review what the Casey report has already clearly stated, which is that the Met Police is institutionally racist.
"This case has taken a big toll on our family and on our careers but it’s crucial that those people who have a voice use it as those people who don’t suffer without being listened to."
In March Baroness Dame Louise Casey released a report which found the Met to be institutionally sexist, racist and homophobic. The force is riddled with bullying, poor leadership, the “rotten” treatment of black people, and the protection of women had also been “thrown out of the window”, she said.
Two Met Police officers have been found guilty of gross misconduct over the stop and search of athletes Bianca Williams and Ricardo dos Santos.
— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 25, 2023
Mr dos Santos says the incident shows that 'the Met Police is institutionally racist".https://t.co/0kNMO6Acsh
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602 pic.twitter.com/8bjvtNq6N1
In the disciplinary hearing that ended on Wednesday, Acting Police Sergeant Rachel Simpson, PC Allan Casey and PC Michael Bond were found not to have breached any standards.
PCs Jonathan Clapham and Sam Franks were found by the panel to have breached standards over integrity and honesty after claiming to have smelled cannabis while searching Mr Dos Santos. They were both sacked by the Met within hours of the disciplinary panel's decision.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward said the officers "lied about smelling drugs" and the athletes "deserved better", while he apologised "for the distress they have suffered".
Following the decision, he said: "Honesty and integrity are at the core of policing and, as the panel has concluded, there can be no place in the Met for officers who do not uphold these values.
He added: "Today’s findings also highlight that we still have a long way to go to earn the trust of our communities, particularly our black communities, when it comes to our use of stop and search.
"We are committed to pursuing new and bolder approaches including more training for officers, better guidance on the use of handcuffs, using stop and search more precisely in our highest violent crime neighbourhoods and more precise engagement with those most affected.
"I remain confident that the Met can and will learn from the experiences of Ms Williams and Mr Dos Santos and work alongside communities to deliver fair and effective stop and search for all Londoners."
