IOPC Directs Met To Hold ‘Gross Misconduct’ Hearing Over Bianca Williams Stop & Search

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has confirmed that five Metropolitan Police officers will now have to face a ‘gross misconduct hearing’ following the stop and search of Bianca Williams and Ricardo Dos Santos in July 2020.

Williams filmed the encounter before uploading the footage to social media. The footage later went viral. 

Although the footage did capture the moments leading up to the stop, it did not show what happened to cause the officers to take notice of their vehicle that had tinted windows. 

It was reported at the time that the officers – from the Met’s Territorial Support Group – had noticed a vehicle with blacked-out windows which was being ‘driven erratically’ in Maida Vale. 

Officers had been assigned to the area after increasing reports of violent crime. 

At the time it was also reported that the vehicle was being driven on the wrong side of the road, and as officers attempted to catch up with the car, it made off from them at speed. 

The vehicle eventually did come to a stop and the TSG Unit caught up with it. 

Officers exited the police carrier, not knowing who was inside the vehicle or whether it might attempt to make off from them again. 

Inside the car was Bianca Williams and her partner – who was driving – along with their 11-month-old son. 

Ms Williams recorded the point at which officers tried to secure the vehicle and its occupants on her mobile phone before uploading the footage to social media. 

Shortly after the incident, the Met released the following statement:

‘At around 13:25hrs on Saturday, 4th July, officers from the Territorial Support Group were patrolling in the W9 area in response to an increase in violence involving weapons.

‘Officers witnessed a vehicle that was being driven in a manner that raised suspicion, heavily braking and accelerating, which included driving on the wrong side of the road. 

‘They indicated for it to stop, but it failed to do so and accelerated off. 

‘The officers caught up with the vehicle when it stopped on Lanhill Road. 

‘The driver initially refused to get out of the car.

‘The occupants, a 25-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman, were informed that they were being detained for the purposes of a search under Section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. 

‘They were both handcuffed due to the officers’ views, which took into account the manner in which the vehicle was being driven, that the vehicle was attempting to evade police, and due to the driver refusing to leave his vehicle.

‘Following a search of the vehicle, the man and the woman, nothing was found. No arrests were made, and the occupants were allowed on their way.

‘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.

‘‘Officers have to make these judgement calls regularly on a daily basis, often in difficult circumstances in areas suffering from violence and knife crime where proactive policing is a priority.’

In February 2022, the IOPC passed their report and findings to the MPS. In April, the IOPC directed that disciplinary proceedings should take place. 

IOPC Regional Director Sal Naseem said:

“All five officers – an acting police sergeant and four police constables – will face allegations they breached police standards of professional behaviour for duties and responsibilities and for equality and diversity.  

“Four of them also face allegations that they breached the standards for use of force and for authority, respect and courtesy. 

“Three of the five – all police constables – will face allegations that they breached the standards for honesty and integrity and one will face an allegation they breached the police standards of professional behaviour for orders and instructions. 

“These matters were assessed as gross misconduct so it will be for the disciplinary panel, led by an independent legally qualified chair to determine whether or not the allegations are proven.

“A sixth officer will attend a misconduct meeting for alleged breaches of the standards for authority, respect and courtesy, duties and responsibilities and for use of force, assessed as misconduct.”

The IOPC said they had also investigated a Merlin report that the officers had made about the baby that was in the vehicle that was allegedly being driven in the manner described above. 

Police Officers are often required to make such reports when their concerns have been raised following an encounter with a child. 

The details of the Merlin report, including why the officers had submitted it, have not been released. 

Once submitted, Merlin reports are assessed by several different agencies, including, where appropriate, Social Services.

A spokesperson for the IOPC added:

‘We also investigated a complaint about a MERLIN report relating to the baby, that had been completed by one of the officers and was then passed to the local authority. 

‘We have directed the MPS to determine what action it should take over that report and particularly to consider deleting it and make all reasonable efforts to arrange for the local authority to do so.

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