Every year the Notting Hill Carnival weekend is one of the busiest for emergency services in and around Londonand this year was no different with the Metropolitan Police tonight revealing that in the latter county they have made at least 230 arrests for crimes including five horrific stabbings.
The event, which took place on Sunday and Monday, attracted around a million people over the bank holiday weekend, with around 7,000 police officers on duty at the celebrations. The carnival is Europe’s biggest street party and is billed by organisers as “the biggest community-led event on the planet”.
And while the vast majority behaved well, some people ended up locked up in a police cell for criminal offenses. The Metropolitan Police have released an update detailing the number of offences they dealt with throughout the event.
At 10.45pm on Monday 26 August, the force confirmed that three firearms had been seized, two at the Carnival and one during a vehicle stop in Harrow involving individuals believed to be on their way to the event. There were also five stabbingstwo incidents in which victims suffered sharp injuries and “one incident involving a corrosive substance,” police said.
Shockingly, two of those who were stabbed are in life-threatening conditions. The 32-year-old woman stabbed on Sunday is also still fighting for her life in hospital in a life-threatening condition. A total of 230 people were arrested and 35 police officers were injured.
A breakdown of offences from Monday’s arrests was published on the Metropolitan Police website and shared on its social media channels.
Here is the full list:
- 49 x possession of offensive weapon
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37 x assault on an emergency worker
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8 x sexual crimes
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9 x violence with injuries
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15 x other violence
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1 x possession of a firearm
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2 x vehicle crime
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1 x harassment
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11 x possession with intent to supply drugs
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9 x possession of class A drugs
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40 x possession of class B drugs
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4 x possession of nitrous oxide
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6 x possession of drugs (other)
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2 x theft from a person
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3 x other theft crimes
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11 x public order violations
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22 x other infractions
As of 11pm last night, police confirmed there were only a small number of people in the vicinity of the Carnival. A police spokesman confirmed officers remained in the area to ensure any future incidents were dealt with.
As with many large gatherings, the Metropolitan Police has put a Section 60 order in place “for the Carnival area from 6.05pm to 2am”, giving police greater stop and search powers. Police said the order also gives officers the power to demand the removal of face coverings used to conceal a person’s identity and anyone who refuses could be arrested.
Ahead of this year’s Carniva, CEO Matthew Phillip said the event could be a good opportunity for communities to come together following the riots that have devastated the UK in recent weeks.
He said: “If you come to Carnival over the weekend, you’ll see people from all walks of life, different backgrounds, essentially at ease with each other and having a good time. Quite apart from any economic benefits Carnival brings to the UK, that’s just as important as bringing people together to celebrate.
“We are all human beings and it’s about coming together to celebrate and it’s always relevant, some might say more so given what’s happened across the UK. It’s the biggest celebration of inclusion and diversity that the UK has, if not Europe, and it’s really important that it stays that way.”