In a rare move, two Metropolitan police officers, PC Jonathan Clapham and PC Sam Franks, have been dismissed from their roles after being found guilty of gross misconduct.
This decision comes after they falsely claimed to have detected the smell of cannabis during the stop and search of athletes Bianca Williams and Ricardo dos Santos in 2020, who were returning home after training and had their baby in the car with them.
Dos Santos, who conveyed feeling “traumatised” after enduring over 20 stop and searches, expressed concerns over institutional racism within the police force.
He said, “It’s 30 years since Stephen Lawrence and I’m going through the same issues people were going through then.”
Three other officers were acquitted of gross misconduct over the incident. The panel recommended a reflective practice process for them.
Chiew Yin Jones, chair of the panel, said, “Given the breach of the standards of honesty and integrity, within an operational context, arising as it did during the course of an encounter with members of the public in which coercive powers were used, the panel found that conduct of PC Clapham and PC Franks amounted to gross misconduct as the breach was so serious as to justify dismissal.”
Met deputy assistant commissioner, Matt Ward, added, “Honesty and integrity are at the core of policing and, as the panel has concluded, there can be no place in the Met for officers who do not uphold these values. Mr Dos Santos and Ms Williams deserved better and I apologise to them for the distress they have suffered.
“Today’s findings also highlight that we still have a long way to go to earn the trust of our communities, particularly our black communities, when it comes to our use of stop and search.”
The incident, which took place in Maida Vale, London, had initially sparked controversy and raised questions about police conduct.
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