Police seize 76 zombie knives and ban 330 people ahead of Notting Hill Carnival's 60th anniversary
Shops board up ahead of the 60th anniversary carnival, where more than 3,000 stewards — double the usual number — are on duty after crowd-control responsibilities shifted from Scotland Yard to organisers.Fears over safety prompted many local residents and businesses to board up properties ahead of what carnival chief executive Matthew Phillip called a victim, not perpetrator, of crime.
Met Police have deployed more than 7,000 officers across west London as Notting Hill Carnival opens its 60th anniversary weekend today, with 528 arrests recorded at last year's event alone. A joint raid with Greater Manchester Police on Wednesday netted seven suspects from a gang believed to have previously targeted the carnival. More than 3,000 stewards are on duty — double the usual number — after crowd-control responsibilities shifted from Scotland Yard to organisers.
Weeks of pre-carnival police activity yielded a haul of 76 zombie knives, 30 flick knives and a machete, and resulted in banning orders on more than 330 individuals through bail conditions.
Carnival chief executive Matthew Phillip hit back at critics, insisting the event is 'a victim of crime rather than a perpetrator' compared to other London events of similar scale.
Fears ahead of the event have led many local residents and businesses to board up their properties, while Tory London Assembly leader Susan Hall demanded the Mayor 'get a grip once and for all before more people are injured or die needlessly'.
