Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police
Officers have arrested 100 people and taken dozens of weapons off the streets as part of an operation to ensure the safety of all those attending Notting Hill Carnival this weekend.
The arrests, which have resulted in 21 people being recalled to prison, are intended to disrupt and deter those who the police have reason to believe pose the greatest risk to public safety at Carnival.
As part of the operation, officers seized 11 firearms and more than 40 knives. Some 266 people now either have police bail or probation licence conditions not to come to Carnival this year.
Commander Charmain Brenyah, the Met’s spokesperson for Carnival, said: “We expect around one million people to be on the streets of west London for what is one of the most significant weekends in the capital’s cultural calendar. The vast majority come to have fun and enjoy themselves, to celebrate Caribbean culture, to dance, to eat and to go home with nothing but good memories.
“Regrettably we know a minority come with less positive intentions and in recent years this has played out in the form of serious violence including three tragic incidents where lives have been taken.
“The actions of this minority are totally at odds with the values of those who care passionately about Carnival and we acknowledge those, including the event organisers, who have stood up to condemn violence and serious criminality in the run up to this weekend.
“Our policing plan makes tackling serious violence a priority which is why we’ve carried out intelligence-led interventions against those groups and individuals who we have reason to believe pose the greatest risk to the safety of other Carnival-goers.
“We hope that this police activity will be a significant deterrent for those who otherwise might have been planning to come and engage in violence and other criminality.
“During the event, we will have officers deployed in significant numbers to deal with incidents and where possible, to intervene before they happen. They will be aided by technology including a network of CCTV cameras, screening arches and live facial recognition cameras deployed on the routes to and from Carnival. We are also considering the use of additional search powers to take dangerous weapons off the streets.”
Met officers will be supported during the operation by officers from the City of London Police. They will also be working in close partnership with the other emergency services and in particular with the British Transport Police whose officers will play an essential role in ensuring Carnival-goers get safely to and from the event.
Superintendent Dominique Ioannou, of the British Transport Police, said: “It’s set to be another busy Carnival weekend and our officers and staff play a unique role in keeping people safe as they travel in and around the capital.
“There’ll be an enhanced presence of uniformed and plain clothes officers out and about across London’s tube and railway network, and we’ll be working closely with the Met as part of the overall policing operation to ensure everyone can enjoy the celebrations safely.
“We want Carnival-goers to have a great weekend, celebrate responsibly and respect others while using the rail network. If you have any concerns, or see anything suspicious, please report it to us by texting 61016, or speaking to a police officer.”
While tackling crime is the main priority of the policing operation, ensuring that people are safe in what will be a very crowded environment is also a concern.
The responsibility for the safety of crowds is primarily that of the event organisers but it is an area that all organisations involved in the delivery of Carnival take a shared interest in.
Commander Brenyah added: “A lot has happened in this area since last year’s event. The Met fully supported the event organisers’ decision to commission an independent review into crowd safety after the number of situations in recent years where crowd density has reached dangerous levels.
“It was welcome news that some additional funding was secured to allow the organisers to implement a number of the review’s recommendations, but they have had limited time to do so meaning despite everyone’s best efforts it’s inevitable not all the risks will have been mitigated.
“Crowd safety remains at the forefront of all of our minds. We have systems in place, not least the Crowd Monitoring Cell, to ensure it is carefully monitored and managed. We cannot be complacent.
“We would also anyone attending Carnival to play their part by listening to stewards and officers if they’re asking you to go in a certain direction or to pause before carrying on down a particular road. Please also read and respect signage, adhere to barriers and other crowd safety equipment and if you feel unsafe or like an area is becoming too crowded, be sensible and move away.”
Further details of our operation to tackle crime are set out below:
- We have been sharing intelligence with forces across the country to identify those violent gangs who are planning to attend Carnival.
- We have been working with others, including local authorities and the courts, to seek banning orders to exclude those attending who have a history of violence or sexual offending at Carnival.
- We have been carrying out pre-emptive intelligence-led arrests and searches of those believed to be in possession of weapons or involved in the supply of drugs.
- We will be using live facial recognition cameras on the approach to and from Carnival, outside the boundaries of the event itself, to help officers identify and intercept those who pose a public safety risk before they get to the crowded streets of Notting Hill, and to ensure those attending are able to get home safely.
- We will be deploying screening arches at some of the busiest entry points, using stop and search powers to prevent knives and other deadly weapons being carried at Carnival.
Further details about our use of live facial recognition are set out below:
- It is right that we make the best use of available technology to support officers to do their job more effectively. That is why we will be using LFR cameras on the approach to and from Carnival, outside the boundaries of the event itself, to help officers identify and intercept those who pose a public safety risk before they get to the crowded streets of Notting Hill, and to ensure those attending are able to get home safely.
- Live facial recognition is a reliable and effective tool. It has led to more than 1,000 arrests since the start of 2024. In the same year, only 1 in more than 33,000 potential matches were proven to be inaccurate.
- Independent testing by the National Physical Laboratory found that at the thresholds the MPS uses the system, it is accurate and balanced with regard to ethnicity and gender, but we know there are still misconceptions about its use, particularly in Black and other minority ethnic communities. We’re committed to working with Londoners and with community organisations to allay their fears and help them understand how the technology works and how it can make a positive difference to public safety.