The Met Police has apologised to athlete Bianca Williams for the “distress” caused by a stop and search which she claims was a result of racial profiling.
The force’s commissioner, Dame Cressida Dick, said that although two reviews of the incident had found there was no apparent misconduct, it had been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) because of “the level of public concern”.
Speaking to the Home Affairs Select Committee on Wednesday, she said: “We apologised yesterday to Ms Williams and I apologise again for the distress this stop clearly caused her.
“Yesterday two of my officers spoke on our behalf to Ms Williams, and I think all of us watching could empathise with somebody who is stopped in a vehicle, who has a young child in the back, who does not probably know what exactly is going on, and is subsequently found, together with her partner, not to be carrying anything illicit.”
A video of the incident, which saw the Great Britain sprinter and her partner Ricardo dos Santos pulled from their car in a London street, was posted online by former Olympic medallist Linford Christie.
Williams has said she believes officers racially profiled her and dos Santos – a Portuguese 400-metre runner – when they were handcuffed and separated from their three-month-old son.
Dame Cressida said she has asked a senior officer to review the Met’s handcuffing practices to make sure it hasn’t become a “default”, and has set up an “oversight group” looking at the use of force, PA Media reports.
“Every time we see a video that is of concern we review them, we see if there are any lessons learned,” she told MPs.
“My senior officer has said… I’m sorry to Ms Williams for the distress, it has clearly caused her, and I say that, too.
“So, if there are lessons to be learned from it, we will learn them, and I’m looking at handcuffing as a specific issue.”
Nothing was found in the search, which the Met said was carried out by officers patrolling the area in response to an increase in violence involving weapons.
The force also said the vehicle was seen driving suspiciously, including on the wrong side of the road, and that the driver sped off when asked to stop.
But this account was rejected by Williams, who has said she is considering legal action against the Met.
“I feel very hurt by their actions, and to witness my partner being taken away and for me to be taken away from my son, my heart hurts,” she said.
IOPC regional director Sal Naseem said the watchdog will be looking at whether the use of stop and search was “appropriate and proportionate”.
He added: “We will also investigate if racial profiling or discrimination played a part in the incident.”
Diane Abbott, who sits on the committee, asked Dame Cressida whether she accepted one of the reasons the case resonated with communities was because it was “such a common occurrence”.
She said: “You’re a Black man, you’re driving a nice car and the chances of you being stopped, because a police officer thinks you’re a drug dealer or violent criminal, are so much higher.”
She added: “You don’t seem to have a perspective on how this looks to communities. It looks as if – and everyone’s had that experience, in my family, people I know – you’re a Black man in a smart car, you get stopped. And this is what Bianca Williams thought happened to her.”
Dame Cressida said she would be interested to see the results of a wider IOPC review into stop and search, adding: “What you say is not new to me, of course. I have heard it on and off throughout my service.
She added: “I don’t believe that is what is happening now, but I do understand that is people’s perception and we need to respond to that.
“Equally, my officers must feel that they have support to do their job and use their powers judiciously and of course fairly and to be able to keep the streets safe.”