Statement from Mayor of London in reaction to two Met police officers involved in stop & search of Bianca Williams and Ricardo dos Santos being found guilty of gross misconduct

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Like many Londoners I was deeply concerned by the stop and search of Bianca Williams and Ricardo Dos Santos in July 2020 which is why we asked for this matter to be referred to the IOPC. The incident raised serious questions about the police use of stop and search and the use of force, particularly against Black Londoners, and it is right that the full circumstances of this incident have been heard and assessed independently.

“The findings of the disciplinary hearing will anger and alarm many Londoners, and just shows the scale of the challenge the new leadership team have to change the culture of the Met. It is vital lessons are learned from this incident and I will support and hold the Met and the Commissioner to account on delivering the urgent improvements needed so that every Londoner can feel protected and served.

“My Action Plan continues to work to improve trust and confidence in the Met and to address community concerns about disproportionality in the use of certain police powers affecting Black Londoners, including stop and search, so that we can build a safer and fairer London for all.”

Notes to editors

• In December last year, the Mayor of London and the Met Commissioner unveiled bold new action to improve trust and confidence in the Metropolitan Police and to address community concerns about disproportionality in the use of certain police powers affecting Black Londoners. https://www.london.gov.uk/media-centre/mayors-press-release/Fresh-action-announced-by-Mayor-and-Met-Commissioner-to-tackle-disproportionality-and-improve-community-confidence-in-policing.