The Metropolitan police federation has called for a full review of the Notting Hill carnival after saying 43 officers were injured and eight taken to hospital, and a record number of people were arrested.



Ken Marsh, the chair of the MPF, which represents rank and file officers, said police “dread” having to work at the carnival, the world’s second-biggest street party, where an “unacceptable” number of officers were being attacked.

“This is not a peaceful and fun-loving event that our members look forward to policing. They dread it,” he said.

“A seemingly growing number of people appear intent on hijacking this carnival and turning it into a bank holiday battleground, and an excuse for using our members as professional punchbags.

“Last year, we had an officer stabbed. This year, colleagues were assaulted, abused and spat at. Forty-three were injured, with eight needing hospital treatment. It’s completely and utterly unacceptable.”

Police made more than 450 arrests at the carnival, held in west London over the bank holiday weekend. However on Tuesday afternoon Dave Musker, the commander in charge of policing carnival, said that the number of arrests had been inflated by the new Psychoactive Substances Act, and that a revised method of recording injuries to police had resulted in closer attention being paid to officer welfare.



The policing operation also came in for criticism from witnesses who reported seeing stop and search powers being disproportionately used against young black men. Ash Sarkar, 24, a senior editor with Novara Media, said she witnessed searches on both days of carnival, including one on Sunday when the suspect was kept handcuffed long after police had determined he was not carrying anything illegal.

“They kept this guy in cuffs for about 45 minutes,” she said. “There were other black men who came over to observe, and they got searched as well. It was being used in a punitive way. Me and my friend didn’t get searched: I’m south Asian and he’s white.”



Ishmahil Blagrove, 48, author of Carnival, a history of the Notting Hill carnival, said he believed there was a concerted effort by the police and local council to defame the carnival. He said a comparison of crime rates between the carnival and Glastonbury or other music festivals showed them to be comparable. He said that he had also been left on edge by the appearance of riot police at the carnival.

“I thought there must be something happening in the area … but there wasn’t. The tactic is almost to agitate and provoke certain responses, I saw that myself yesterday. I can bear witness to that. This is what happens,” Blagrove said.

“So when they talk about 400 arrests, there is nothing scientific about it. Those arrests are determined by what senior commanders say; whether they are going to go heavy, or whether they are going to go soft on certain things. When they see casual weed smoking, if they turn a blind eye or not; that determines the figures. They can doctor those figures as much as they like.

“When we talk about five stabbings, they want to go to Rio, where they wake up and find five or six bodies in the gutter. Notting Hill Carnival, compared to Trinidad or Brazil, is one of the safest in the world – not just the second largest – it’s one of the safest.”

A section 60 order covering the entire carnival area allowed officers to carry out random searches. The policing operation, which seemed initially to take a light touch, changed as the day progressed, with officers taking to the streets in riot gear after nightfall.

Ninety arrests were made for alleged possession of points and blades, and 169 for drugs.

Officers also made 38 arrests under the 2016 Psychoactive Substances Act, which came into force in May, relating to nitrous oxide. Possession of the substance, a popular party drug sold in gas form by the balloon, is legal, but it is illegal to distribute it.

A further 40 arrests were made for alleged public order offences and 25 arrests were made on suspicion of assaulting a police officer. Last year, there were 407 arrests, a big increase on the 2014 figure of 252.

Five people were hurt in four separate knife attacks on Sunday, according to the Metropolitan police. Among those arrested was a 14-year-old boy held on suspicion of grievous bodily harm after a 15-year-old was stabbed.

The Met had a huge presence in Notting Hill and Ladbroke Grove, with 6,000 officers deployed on Sunday and 7,000 on Monday.

Most sound systems, particularly those playing dub reggae, dancehall or grime, had a significant police presence. There was friction at People’s Sound on All Saints Road when police in riot gear moved in just before shutdown at 7pm.

Micheál Campbell (@michealjcampbel) Police shutdown Peoples Sound on All Saints Road #NHC2016. pic.twitter.com/jDyV1P9EnY

One bystander, who asked to be named only as the Dread, accused officers of intimidation. Asked why he thought People’s Sound had been singled out, he said: “For some reason, they have their targets. This sound here is the peaceful sound that’s been going on for the past 30 years. All the vibes are good and still we get this intimidation.”

Dennis “Mekka” Stephenson, 47, an events promoter, said that the actions of police at People’s Sound was a particular provocation, because of the history of that sound system and its link to All Saints Road.

“Just remember you are talking about the original All Saints Road frontline, that’s where the original (1976) riot started. That’s the heart of black civil rights in London,” he said.

“The police have certain targets. They know what the line is all about: human rights. If they are going to push someone and they know someone is going to push them back that is where it will happen.”

Other arrests included 17 for common assault or actual bodily harm; 13 for sexual offences; 10 for theft from the person, eight for going equipped for theft; six for grievous bodily harm; three for drink or drug driving; two for criminal damage; one for robbery and 32 others that the Met did not specify.

