Stabbing At Notting Hill Carnival Mars Otherwise Peaceful Event

Stabbing Incident At Otherwise Peaceful Notting Hill Carnival
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Scotland Yard may well be breathing a sigh of relief, as the Notting Hill Carnival passed relatively peacefully over the bank holiday.

Police made 214 arrests during the two-day street festival and late on Monday night a man was stabbed near the carnival area. eaving him in a serious condition.

His condition was described as serious but stable after he was found with stab wounds to the stomach and hand in Ladbroke Grove.

Four men, aged between 20 and 21, have been arrested over the incident, but they are still searching for a light-skinned black man who was wearing a dark blue sweatshirt and similar-coloured scarf, dark jeans and blue trainers.

The festival was the first major test of London's police force since the riots and looting that spread through capital earlier this month.

The Met said that while it was too early to necessarily draw comparisons with previous years, the indications were that the Carnival had gone smoothly. During both the 2010 and 2009 festivals over 200 people were arrested.

A record number of police were deployed to patrol the festivities this year, with the more than 5,000 officers on the streets on Sunday, rising to 6,500 on Monday.

The Notting Hill Carnival in West London is believed to be the biggest event of its kind in Europe with up to one million people expected to have attended this year.

On Monday afternoon the Met said they had implemented Section 60 and section 60 AA of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.

This gave the police powers to force festival-goers to remove clothing that they believed had the main purpose of concealing their identity. It also gives officers the power to seize items.

The Met said it had enacted the powers based on intelligence related to the carnival and the "unprecedented scale and unpredictable locations" of the disorder that was seen in London during 6-8 August.

Due to fears over public safety in the wake of the riots the carnival finished earlier than normal, at 7pm.

John Tully, vice chairman of rank and file organisation for officers the Metropolitan Police Federation, had warned earlier this week that the decision had the potential to cause greater tension.

"There is a lot of pent up anger and frustration around certain parts of the community," he told Huff Post UK. "It might be counter productive [to shut the event early] because a lot of people turn up after the parade after the floats, they turn up for the sound-systems, if they're closed down early we could cause problems."

Mayor of London Boris Johnson warned troublemakers to stay away in a statement on Saturday: "Carnival is one of the most exciting events of the year and we want Londoners and visitors to the capital to have a safe and enjoyable time.

"The police have been targeting potential troublemakers and anyone thinking of causing trouble should stay away. This is a Carnival for the people – let's show the world we know how to throw a party and have a good time."