Two Metropolitan police officers, PC Jonathan Clapham and PC Sam Franks, have been dismissed from service and barred from the police after a disciplinary panel found them guilty of gross

misconduct. The panel determined that Clapham and Franks had lied about smelling cannabis while stopping and searching athletes Bianca Williams and Ricardo dos Santos. Three other officers were acquitted of gross misconduct in the same incident.

Williams and Dos Santos were stopped in Maida Vale, London, on July 4, 2020, as they returned from training with their baby in the car. The panel did not establish that the athletes' race played a role in their treatment.

Chiew Yin Jones, the panel chair, stated that Dos Santos, who was regularly drug-tested, did not use or possess drugs. The panel found that Clapham and Franks had been "untruthful" in their account of smelling cannabis and then suspecting Dos Santos, leading them to be "trapped in a lie" without objective basis for their belief. The case was brought by the director general of the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

Both athletes were handcuffed during the stop. The officers were acquitted of gross misconduct in the decision to stop the car and the decision to handcuff the individuals.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan expressed concern over the findings and emphasized the need for changes within the Met. The incident highlights the ongoing challenge of improving relations between the police and communities, particularly the disproportionate targeting of black British young people in stop and search encounters. Photo by Southbanksteve, Wikimedia commons.