Police have launched a major safety operation ahead of this year’s Notting Hill Carnival, arresting 100 people and seizing dozens of weapons in a bid to keep the huge celebration safe.
The Met said the arrests – which included 21 offenders recalled to prison – were aimed at stopping those “posing the biggest risk to public safety” from attending the event, which is expected to draw around a million visitors to west London this weekend.
As part of the sweep, officers recovered 11 firearms and more than 40 knives. In total, 266 people are now under bail or probation conditions that prevent them from going to Carnival.
The crackdown comes after several violent incidents have marred the festival in recent years.
In 2024, 32-year-old Cher Maximen was fatally stabbed with a zombie knife in front of her young daughter. Her killer, Shakeil Thibou, was later jailed for life.
Just a day later, chef Mussie Imnetu was beaten during a row in Queensway. He died in hospital days later.
Back in 2022, 21-year-old Takayo Nembhard was stabbed to death at Carnival. His killer still hasn’t been found.
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.” Photo by David Sedlecký, Wikimedia commons.