‘Far fewer violent incidents’ at this year’s Notting Hill Carnival, police say as two stabbed and 423 arrested
Two people were stabbed and 423 arrested during this year’s Notting Hill Carnival, the Metropolitan Police have confirmed, as they revealed the use of new technology led to “far fewer incidents of serious violence than in recent years."
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The annual celebrations got underway on Sunday, as revellers descended on West London to mark the historic event.
Speaking on Monday evening, the Met Police hailed the use of preemptive arrests, knife arches, and new live facial recognition technology in preventing serious violence.
There have so far been 423 arrests over the two main days, the force said in an update on Monday.
There have been two stabbings, but neither resulted in life-threatening injuries.
As of 7.45pm, the number of arrests on Monday was 223, with 177 at the carnival itself and 46 on the approaches.
Two people were murdered at the carnival last year, including a popular chef and a woman attending with her three-year-old daughter.
The deaths led to renewed conversations about the safety of the event which is billed as 'Europe's Largest Party'.
After 10 stabbings took place at last year's Carnival, police made 21 arrests on Sunday for possession of an offensive weapon.
52 arrests were a result of suspect drug offences, with possession of cannabis making up nearly half (25).
Robbery (2), sexual offences (4), public order offences (4) were the other reasons given by the police for arrest.
Speaking on Sunday, a Met Police spokesperson said: "The policing operation for the first full day of Notting Hill Carnival has moved into the dispersal phase as crowds head home from the event. A significant number of officers remain in the area to deal with any incidents.
"As of 19:45hrs, there had been 140 total arrests as part of the policing operation."
Over 7,000 police officers were deployed to the west London celebration of Caribbean culture for this year's event