Bianca Williams: 'I get anxious whenever I see a police car'

An athlete who was stopped and searched by Met Police officers - two of whom have been sacked over their actions - says the experience has left her "on edge".

Bianca Williams said the disciplinary hearing that saw the officers dismissed for gross misconduct was bittersweet and the impact of what happened to her family has been lasting.

In July 2020, the British world championship medallist and her partner, Olympic sprinter Ricardo Dos Santos, were handcuffed and searched on suspicion of having drugs and weapons.

They had been pulled over as they drove to their west London home from training. Their baby son, then three months old, was in the back seat of their Mercedes.

On Wednesday, a disciplinary panel found PC Jonathan Clapham and PC Sam Franks lied about smelling cannabis in Mr Dos Santos' car, in breach of professional standards.

All allegations against three other officers involved in the stop-and-search were not proven.

In an exclusive interview with BBC News, Ms Williams said she had been left feeling anxious whenever she saw police cars.

"It's just really hard, even just driving the car I'm always looking, I'm always on edge because who knows what they're going to do?"

"Who knows if they're going to follow me and pull me over without Ricardo being there," she said.

"Even if Ricardo is driving, and I'm in the front passenger seat, I'm always looking to see if there's a police car.

"If a [police] car has gone in the opposite direction, I'm always looking behind to see are they going to make a U-turn and follow us?

"I shouldn't have to live like that.

"My anxiety is through the roof whenever I see a police car and it's not right."

Ms Williams said she panics whenever her partner takes their three-year-old son out of their home.

"I need to know where they're going, if they've stopped. I'm just always on edge," she said.

Before the incident, Ms Williams said she "really did" have confidence in the police, but it had been eroded by the stop-and-search itself and the long process of seeking redress.

She said the Casey Review, which examined conduct within the Met, had found it was institutionally racist but that this was being "brushed under the carpet".

Ms Williams added: "It's quite worrying for when my son grows up. If it hasn't changed for many years, is it really going to change now?"

The ordeal has left her questioning where the future lies for her family.

"I do worry for my son [and] the next generation of black men and boys growing up in the UK," she said.

"I keep saying to Ricardo, 'are we really going to live in this country?'. We've spoken about moving out of the UK and being somewhere else," she explained.

"We live in a world where we're supposed to feel safe and feel protected, but we aren't and it shouldn't be like that."

Despite everything, Ms Williams said she had not lost her focus on her sport and her ambition to reach the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

"Athletics is my number one and when I come to the track I have to put all emotions aside and get on with the job... I want to be the best."

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