The festivities of Notting Hill Carnival were “marred by serious violence” after a spate of stabbings following the end of the two-day event.
A man, 29, is said to be in ‘critical condition’ following a stabbing in Warfield Road, Kensal Rise, just off Harrow Road, on Monday (August 28) just after 9pm.
It was the latest of other stabbings that took place in the after hours of the celebration, as another man, 19, was stabbed in Ladbroke Grove before 8pm and remains in a ‘serious but stable condition’ in hospital.
Six other men – aged 18, 19, 20, 25, 28 and 40 – were stabbed in separate incidents throughout the evening and have ‘non-life threatening injuries’.
Despite Metropolitan Police stating the annual celebration of Caribbean culture is mainly a “positive experience”, the force said that a total of 275 arrests were made over the two days.
On Sunday, there were 110 arrests for offences including possession of offensive weapons, assaults including assaults on police officers, possession of drugs and sexual offences.
One man had a non-life changing slash wound but declined the assistance of the emergency services.
Officers also seized a firearm and arrested a man in connection to it.
On Monday there were a further 165 arrests including sexual assaults and an officer who was bitten and treated in hospital.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan, who oversaw the policing operation, said: “It is regrettable that for a second year in a row, Monday night at Carnival has been marred by serious violence.
“Nobody disputes the significance of Carnival on London’s cultural calendar and the overwhelming majority of those who came will have had a positive experience. However, we cannot overlook the stabbings, sexual assaults and attacks on police officers that we have seen.
“As we do following any major operation, we will be reviewing the events of the past two days and giving thorough consideration to what may need to change in future years.
“It is important to recognise the positives that we can take away from the event. I am pleased that by working in close partnership with the event organisers and the stewarding teams, we were able to closely monitor crowd density and intervene in an effective way to prevent any incidents of crushing at peak times.
He added: “Carnival is a challenging policing environment. Officers were asked to be vigilant and alert but to be approachable, respectful and sensitive at the same time. They did all of that and more and they deserve our recognition and our thanks.”
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