World Cup star Williams in handcuffs
Police officers fired for racial profiling of sprinter
October 25, 2023, 7:11 p.m
Sprinter Bianca Williams can celebrate a medal at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. Three years earlier, the British woman was handcuffed for no reason during a police stop while her child was sitting in the car. The police officers are now being fired because of “racial profiling”.
Two British officers committed “gross misconduct” during a police check on World Cup bronze medalist Bianca Williams. This is the result of a disciplinary hearing in London. Williams, who won bronze with the British 4×100 meter relay team at the World Championships in Budapest and gold in Berlin in 2018, had accused the police of “racial profiling”. There were several identity checks simply because of her skin color. The police officers were fired.
The hearing revealed that two police officers lied when they claimed they smelled cannabis when they stopped and searched the car. Three other officers were acquitted of allegations of misconduct.
Williams complained three years ago that she and her partner were being checked several times. In the incident being investigated, the sprinter was handcuffed and the car was searched, but nothing was found. Your child was in the car at the time.
The police see “a black man driving a nice car, an all black car, and they assume he is involved in some kind of gang problem, drug problem or violence problem,” Williams told the BBC at the time. The officers claimed they stopped the car because it was being “driven in a suspicious manner.” The area had been patrolled due to an increase in violent crime.