The number of arrests made during the Notting Hill carnival fell compared with last year’s event after a controversial crackdown in the run-up to the popular street festival.
There were 313 arrests across the two days of the carnival held in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, compared with 454 arrests last year.
However, the police action, which included 50 arrests for carrying an offensive weapon, came after an additional 656 arrests made in the three weeks before the event.
The crackdown drew criticism from some, including the grime artist Stormzy, who replied to a series of tweets from the Metropolitan police: “How many drugs did you lot seize in the run-up to Glastonbury or we only doing tweets like this for black events?”
Discussing the proactive raids, Dave Musker, the Met’s gold commander for the bank holiday weekend, said: “I don’t really care what we arrest them for, I’ll be [as] lawfully audacious as I can to get them off the streets.”
This year’s event was set against a backdrop of tension over the treatment of residents of Grenfell Tower, which lies within the borough. Carnivalgoers paused to observe a minute’s silence for those killed in the blaze that engulfed the building in June.
The moment was concluded with a round of applause and cheers from the hundreds of thousands of people celebrating the bank holiday weekend. Firefighters were embraced, congratulated and thanked by carnivalgoers who posed for pictures with them.
Officers also seized a number of weapons during the event, including knives, CS spray, batons and a hammer.
As of 10pm on Monday, there had been 122 arrests made on Sunday and 191 on Monday, the Met said. The figures included 58 arrests for drug offences, six for sexual offences and 22 public order offences. A total of 28 police officers received injuries across both days.
Despite the fall in the number of arrests, Ken Marsh, head of the Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, condemned the carnival. He said the true number of injured officers would be higher than the figure announced, claiming that his members had been attacked with “blood, bottles and dangerous ‘liquid’”.
“We want the Metropolitan police service to take responsibility for this. A huge number of officers are getting attacked every year at this event. The service knows this is going to happen and sends officers to this event knowing this is going to happen,” said Marsh, who made a similar statement last year.
However, the London assembly’s police and crime committee praised the policing operation surrounding the carnival. Its chairman, Steve O’Connell, said: “Having previously raised concerns about public safety, we are pleased to see the number of arrests for offences such as drugs and weapon possession have fallen.
“There is still more to do to make carnival a safer and better experience for all, and we look forward to hearing how the LNHCET [London Notting Hill Carnival Enterprises Trust], the mayor, and other partners will continue to work towards this, so that carnival’s success, rather than crime and disorder, becomes the headline story every year”.
A group of young people deemed to be at risk of getting caught up in crime and disorder during the Notting Hill carnival were removed from the area and invited to a watersports weekend at a cost of more than £1,000 each, the Guardian learned last week.
Fifteen young people aged from 13 to 17 were selected for the trip, which cost the council £20,000. The council said the Alternative to Carnival Engagement (ACE) project was an effective way of protecting vulnerable young people from harm.
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