Police brace for Notting Hill Carnival carnage: Officers will use facial recognition cameras with double usual number of stewards on duty after record-breaking arrests

Police officers are bracing for a weekend of carnage at the Notting Hill Carnival as they install knife arches and live facial recognition cameras to catch criminals.Arrests have already been made ahead of Europe's largest street carnival as officers fear another weekend of violence after last year's record-breaking arrests total.Some 7,000 Metropolitan Police officers and staff will be on duty to keep an eye on two million revellers who are set to descend on the streets of west London.More than 3,000 stewards will be on duty - double the usual number - after crowd control responsibilities were transferred from Scotland Yard to the event organisers following an extra £4.66million grant announced by Sir Sadiq Khan in March.But Susan Hall, leader of the Conservative group at the London Assembly, said she remained concerned about the security risks and called on the Mayor to 'get a grip on this once and for all before more people are injured or die needlessly'.Metropolitan Police Federation chair Paula Dodds warned officers were 'already stretched beyond belief', adding that their 'welfare must remain a top priority'.The Met said last year's policing operation cost about £15million – and while the force hopes this year's total cost will be lower, this 'still represents a very significant financial outgoing in the context of unprecedented budget challenges for policing'. The force said operations involving live facial recognition and numberplate checks were being carried out to locate wanted offenders before and during the carnival.Police are also making arrests of gang members and Violence Against Women and Girls (Vawg) suspects. There is also a ban in bail conditions and prevention orders for high-risk people attending the event, especially domestic abusers and sex offenders.Weapon sweeps of known gang areas are being made, 'knife arches' will be in use and there will be increased uniformed police patrols in parks and open spaces.Detectives are also carrying out targeted checks on hotels and short-stay accommodation to catch people involved in child exploitation and county lines.Organisers said there will be increased safety and crowd control measures for the carnival, which is marking its 60th anniversary – including a bigger control room, more CCTV cameras to monitor revellers and signs to alert them to possible hold-ups. Police officers observe revellers at the Notting Hill Carnival in west London in August last year A young man is handcuffed by a police officer before being released at last year's carnivalBut Ms Hall said: 'I must confess I am concerned about the security risks at the Notting Hill Carnival, which my report last summer examined.'The Mayor has given a lot of taxpayer money to fund this event, leaving taxpayers on the hook for safety measures, without providing any targets for security.'People should be safe when attending events like Carnival, and I worry that they simply are not - least of all as police resources are being cut at the same time.'The Mayor needs to get a grip on this once and for all before more people are injured or die needlessly.'Ms Dodds said the federation, which represents 30,000 officers across London, will be closely monitoring the welfare and wellbeing of police at the carnival as well as any incidents of them coming under attack.The organisation will be carrying out a live survey to ask officers if the force has granted them sufficient rest between their shifts and if they have had access to food and water.Ms Dodds, who has policed the carnival 14 times, told the Daily Mail: 'The Notting Hill Carnival is the most demanding event in the calendar for our colleagues in the capital, who are already stretched beyond belief.'All we are looking for is a safe event for the millions of members of the public who attend the event - and very importantly the thousands of colleagues who police it.'We will be working with the Metropolitan Police as we have done in previous years to ensure our members are properly looked after and that our – and their – concerns are swiftly addressed. Officer safety and welfare must be paramount.'The federation said 349 Met officers have been injured or assaulted at the carnival over the past four years.Injuries to officers at last year's event included a broken nose and a serious bite to the hand. In previous years officers have been spat at and urinated on.Ms Dodds added: 'One assault on a police officer is one too many and their welfare must remain a top priority for senior officers at the force and politicians.'We will have federation representatives – officers looking after their fellow officers – on the ground all weekend who want to hear about any issues faced by those working.'We would encourage all colleagues to keep us informed in real time about what is happening out there. It does make a difference.'We are pleased that the concerns we raised last year contributed to the work which led to a fall in serious violence at the two-day event and look forward to this collaborative working continuing in years to come.' Police officers during the 'Children's Day Parade' of the Notting Hill Carnival in August 2025 Huge crowds attend the opening day of Notting Hill Carnival 2025, known as the 'Family Day' Police officers install knife arches on the opening day of the Notting Hill Carnival last yearThe Met made a record number of carnival arrests last year, detaining 528 people over the course of two days – including 200 on the Sunday and 328 on the Monday.The total was significantly up from the 349 in 2024 and marked the highest number of arrests in police records – comfortably beating the previous high of 454 in 2016.But officers said they dealt with 'far fewer incidents of serious violence than in recent years' after facial recognition cameras helped them drive down violent crime.There were two stabbings at last year's event, but neither resulted in serious injury, compared to two murders and eight stabbings in 2024.Speaking about arrests in advance of this year's carnival, Metropolitan Police Sergeant Ethan Thomson-Berg told Sky News: 'We found that there was a lot of success last year upon doing operations like this and we want to stay on top of it this year.'If we can get in, disrupt these individuals from going to Notting Hill - so that Notting Hill can run smoothly and it can be a celebration that it's intended to be.'In March, Sir Sadiq faced fury for granting the carnival an extra £4.66million which critics said could have kept police stations open in the capital.Organisers said the event 'could not have gone ahead safely' without the grant, which is providing at least 1,000 more security guards, crowd safety experts, barriers and Wi-Fi to allow safety teams to communicate if they spot anti-social behaviour.The funding deal also meant organisers would take over crowd control responsibilities this year from the Met, so officers can focus on carrying out policing duties.But the London Conservatives previously said the money was 'a blank cheque' for the festival and should have been spent elsewhere.This week, Notting Hill Carnival chief executive Matthew Phillip told BBC London that the transferring of crowd control to organisers was a 'massive step-change for carnival'.He added: 'We have taken full control but we are fully supported by the Metropolitan Police Service as well. I think it's important that the public also know that the Met are not walking away, this is a transitional period that we're going to go through.'The Met had previously warned organisers of 'Hillsborough'-style crushes at the event, but planners this year said the Mayor's extra funding will help make the carnival safer than ever.Psychology experts are even being brought in to help predict crowd movements.A Met Police spokesperson told the Daily Mail: 'Notting Hill Carnival is one of London's most significant cultural events. It attracts millions of people, the majority of whom come solely with the intention of enjoying themselves. 'The Met's role is to ensure they can do so safely by relentlessly pursuing the small minority who come intending to do harm. Last year's event saw a reduction in serious violence compared with previous years which is really positive. 'While challenges remain, we have learned lessons, strengthened our approach and are building on what worked, to help make Carnival even safer in 2026.'Our policing operation begins weeks before the event through intelligence-led enforcement activity aimed at identifying and disrupting those most likely to be involved in violence and criminality. We are focused on preventing harm before it reaches the streets of west London. Facial recognition technology was in use near Paddington rail station during last year's event Police officers stand in riot gear for the Notting Hill Carnival 'Family Day' in August 2024 London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan poses with dancers at the Notting Hill Carnival in August 2017'We've done this by arresting and charging offenders where we have been able to. Where charges weren't possible, we've imposed bail conditions banning those who pose the biggest risk from attending Carnival. 'We've taken weapons off the streets that could have been used to potentially deadly effect at Carnival and otherwise provided a visual disruptive and deterrence presence in key areas.'Addressing the changes to who is now responsible for crowd control, the Met spokesperson added: 'The additional funding secured by Notting Hill Carnival Limited is welcome. 'It has allowed them to strengthen stewarding and crowd management arrangements in addition to other infrastructure, which we hope will allow police officers to spend more time focused on preventing crime, protecting the public and responding to incidents rather than carrying out non-policing functions. 'This represents an important step forward and we are grateful to Notting Hill Carnival Limited for the work they've done in this area. Once again this year, we will see a Crowd Management Cell in operation combining event management and policing expertise to assess crowd density, spot challenging areas early and direct interventions to keep people safe. 'When reflecting on the impact of the new funding, however, we need to recognise that it doesn't contribute directly towards policing costs. Last year's operation cost in the region of £15million and while we hope that this year's cost will be slightly reduced, it still represents a very significant financial outgoing in the context of unprecedented budget challenges for policing where we are having to make reductions to frontline policing services.' Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard, London's Deputy Mayor for Communities and Social Justice, told the Daily Mail: 'Notting Hill Carnival is one of our capital's biggest events, drawing Londoners and visitors from across the globe to west London every year in a fantastic celebration of Caribbean culture.'The community-led event has become one of the world's largest street festivals, boosting our economy by nearly £400million each year and symbolising how our capital celebrates our diversity.'However, an independent review identified that its growth has meant that changes were needed to improve safety and security, and the Mayor was proud to step in to support organisers with the funding required to make this year's 60th anniversary event happen.'A spokesperson for Notting Hill Carnival Limited (NHCL) told the Daily Mail: 'Security planning for Notting Hill Carnival is a year-round process, carried out in close partnership with the emergency services, local councils and City Hall.'We all work closely and are all involved in oversight and planning, and any issues raised by our safety and policing partners through that process have been worked through collaboratively. Public safety is our first priority, and visitors can expect a well-resourced, well-coordinated event this weekend.'The additional funding granted by the Mayor has allowed us to significantly strengthen our operational capability, including a substantial increase in trained stewards, experienced and qualified crowd safety managers, expanded CCTV and communications infrastructure, and improved and increased digital signage across the site.'As part of the jointly agreed security plan, NHCL has taken over responsibility for traffic management, including hostile vehicle mitigation, a function previously managed by the Metropolitan Police.'This transfer was planned and jointly agreed with the Met over many months, allowing their officers to concentrate on core policing responsibilities during the event.'NHCL has always held primary responsibility for crowd safety and management at the event, though this year's additional resources mean the Met's involvement in that area can now be more targeted.'