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Notting Hill Carnival Ends With 423 Arrests as Police Report Fewer Serious Incidents

Police cite live facial recognition for many identifications to explain the lower levels of serious violence.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - AUGUST 24, 2025: on the first day of the Notting Hill Carnival in London, United Kingdom on August 24, 2025. Two million revellers are expected to take part in Notting Hill Carnival, Europe's largest street party and a celebration of African-Caribbean traditions and the capital's cultural diversity. (Photo credit should read Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Two people were stabbed at Powis Terrace and Oxford Gardens, with police saying neither injury was life-threatening.
  • Scotland Yard said 52 arrests followed positive matches from live facial recognition cameras positioned on routes into the event.
  • The Met reported 223 arrests on Monday (177 inside the footprint, 46 on approaches) and 200 on Sunday, with offences spanning weapons, drugs, assaults on police and sexual offences.
  • Around 7,000 officers policed the weekend using screening arches, stop-and-search powers and Section 60 authorities, while British Transport Police made 30 arrests on the rail network.
  • Organisers called the rise in arrests the result of a proactive operation and stressed that attendance approached a million people, as councils mounted a large overnight clean-up.