MPS makes 100 arrests ahead of Notting Hill Carnival

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 Metropolitan Police Service’s (MPS)  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.”

MPS 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 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 MPS said.

It added: “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.”