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Police arrest hundreds in pre-Notting Hill carnival crime crackdown Police arrest hundreds in pre-Notting Hill carnival crime crackdown
(35 minutes later)
The Metropolitan police have arrested 656 people suspected of attending the Notting Hill carnival with the intent of causing trouble, the commander in charge of policing the event has said. The Metropolitan police have arrested 656 people suspected of planning to attend Notting Hill carnival with the intent of causing trouble, the commander in charge of policing the event has said.
Dave Musker, the Met’s gold commander for the bank holiday, added that pre-charge bail restrictions have been used to stop some from coming, and to force some people from the North Kensington area to stay away from their homes during the event. Dave Musker, the Met’s gold commander for the bank holiday weekend, said: “I don’t really care what we arrest them for, I’ll be [as] lawfully audacious as I can to get them off the streets.
“I don’t really care what we arrest them for; I’ll be [as] lawfully audacious as I can to get them off the streets,” he said. “So whether they’ve got heroin or they’ve got other class A drugs, drug dealing, serious violence takes place at carnival, we will try to target them and get them off the streets.” “So whether they’ve got heroin or they’ve got other class A drugs, [are] drug dealing, [or] serious violence takes place at carnival, we will try to target them and get them off the streets.”
Musker’s comments came after the Met drew ridicule and accusations of racism after publishing a tweet linking a heroin bust in south London to the carnival. The grime artist Stormzy replied to the force: “How many drugs did you lot seize in the run-up to Glastonbury or we only doing tweets like this for black events?” Pre-charge bail restrictions have been used to prevent some people from coming and force some people from the north Kensington area to stay away from their homes during the event, the Guardian understands.
Musker also said concrete blocks and steel barriers would surround the event to ensure it remains safe at a time of heightened concern about the risk of vehicles being used in terror attacks. Officers will also check the public for knives and corrosive substances as they arrive. Musker’s comments came after the Met drew ridicule and accusations of racism by publishing a tweet linking a heroin bust in south London to the carnival. The grime artist Stormzy replied to the force: “How many drugs did you lot seize in the run-up to Glastonbury or we only doing tweets like this for black events?”
However, Musker said there was no intelligence to suggest the carnival was at risk of a terrorist attack, nor that the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire had raised the risk of public disorder. Musker said concrete blocks and steel barriers would surround the event area to ensure it remains safe at a time of heightened concern about the risk of vehicles being used in terrorist attacks. Officers will check members of the public for knives and corrosive substances as they arrive.
While extra officers will be stationed around Grenfell in a “ring of care”, overall police numbers will stay the same as last year, with about 15,000 shifts worked over the two days. This works out as about 6,000 to 7,000 officers on duty each day. However, he said there was no intelligence to suggest the carnival was at risk of a terrorist attack, nor that the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire had raised the risk of public disorder.
While extra officers will be stationed around Grenfell Tower in a “ring of care”, overall police numbers will stay the same as last year, with about 15,000 shifts worked over the two days. This works out as about 6,000 to 7,000 officers on duty each day.
The Met has also faced criticism for plans to trial facial recognition technology at the carnival for the second year running. Civil rights defenders last week urged the Met to scrap the trial, which they said has no clear legal basis and threatened a “significant interference with the right to private life”.The Met has also faced criticism for plans to trial facial recognition technology at the carnival for the second year running. Civil rights defenders last week urged the Met to scrap the trial, which they said has no clear legal basis and threatened a “significant interference with the right to private life”.
Musker said he was “not blind to the fact that this is a controversial tactic”, adding the Met had consulted with privacy groups such as Big Brother Watch “to ensure that what we are doing is proportionate, legal and effective”. Musker said he was “not blind to the fact that this is a controversial tactic”, adding that the Met had consulted with privacy groups such as Big Brother Watch “to ensure that what we are doing is proportionate, legal and effective”.
He added: “It’s not loaded; it’s loaded with people who we know are involved with criminality, who are wanted. It’s not a speculative search tool.” “It’s not loaded, it’s loaded with people who we know are involved with criminality, who are wanted. It’s not a speculative search tool,” he said.
One Ladbroke Grove resident caught up in the pre-carnival operations said police had arrested him after finding him in possession of frankincense.
The resident, who preferred to not be named, was told he could not attend the carnival and must report to a police station in Clapham, south London, between 6pm and 9pm on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.