Notting Hill Carnival sees 423 arrests in two days including two stabbings

The Metropolitan Police have made 423 arrests over the two days of Notting Hill Carnival in London, including two stabbings. Police confirmed the stabbings, which occurred at Powis Terrace and in Oxford Gardens, did not result in life-threatening injuries.

More arrests were made today than yesterday, with a total of 223 by 7.45pm. Some 177 were made at Carnival itself and 46 on the approaches to the event. It included 32 arrests for assaults on police, 46 for possession of an offensive weapon, 18 for sexual offences, and 146 in relation to drugs. There were also five arrests in relation to robbery, four for violence with injury, and 36 for 'other' violence.

The Met Police said that it has seen "far fewer incidents of serious violence than in recent years", but acknolweged the event is still in its latter stages and it is "not being at all complacent".

Around a million people were expected to descend on the event this weekend, which would mean about 0.0004% of those attending were arrested.

Yesterday, there were fewer arrests. The updated number was 200, with 149 arrests made at Carnival itself and 51 on the approaches.

Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward, the policing commander for Notting Hill Carnival this year, said: "This year we have proactively targeted those who have attempted to come to Carnival to cause harm to others.

"We have used live facial recognition, knife arches and our stop and search powers to identify and arrest more than 400 suspects. These arrests have prevented some of the serious violence we have seen at previous Carnivals.

"We thank the organisers and others who spoke out in the days and weeks ahead of the event to emphasise what Carnival stands for, to reject violence and to urge anyone planning to come for conflict or confrontation to stay at home.

"All of this joint effort has helped to make this year's Carnival a safer event for all."

This year police were assisted with live facial recognition, and it said 52 of the arrests followed positive identifications using the technology.

Police were also authorised additional powers between 10am and 2am on both days as part of the Notting Hill Carnival operation.

It meant they could stop and search people within the specified zone for weapons or dangerous items without needing to have reasonable suspicion.

They could also require people to remove face coverings worn mainly to conceal identity; refusal to do so could lead to arrest.

A dispersal order was also authorised, allowing officers to order someone to leave the area and not return for up to 48 hours.

On Friday, police confirmed that 100 people had been arrested ahead of the event, to "ensure the safety of all those attending Notting Hill Carnival", which resulted in officers seizing 11 firearms and more than 40 knives.

The Express has contacted the organisers of Notting Hill Carnival for comment.