Overview
- Sunday’s Family Day saw hundreds of thousands attend the 60th Notting Hill Carnival in west London with colourful parades, early J’Ouvert paint rituals and dozens of sound systems.
- Police ran a major operation that used live facial recognition, number-plate checks, weapon sweeps and walkthrough metal detectors to target wanted people and reduce violence.
- The Metropolitan Police reported 169 arrests by early evening, of which 29 followed live facial recognition matches, and officers recorded offences including drug and weapons possession and sexual offences.
- Responders dealt with two non-life-threatening knife slashings and a van fire at Pembridge Villas while organisers highlighted a larger control room, extra CCTV and more than 3,000 stewards funded by a mayoral grant.
- The weekend underlines recurring tensions between celebration and public-order costs, with officials saying proactive policing reduced serious violence while residents and unions voiced concerns about policing methods and resource strains.