Notting Hill Carnival – London’s largest street festival – attracts between one and two million visitors to West London every August bank holiday weekend. This weekend (23rd August) marks the event’s 60th anniversary. But it isn’t without controversy. A celebration of the city’s rich Caribbean culture, it’s become synonymous with bright clothes, exotic dancing and a vibrant mix of music.
But the enjoyment of the vast majority is often mired by high-profile murders which take place at the annual event. Last year Cher Maximen, 32, was stabbed to death in front of her three-year-old daughter while trying to break up a fight. Dubai chef Mussie Imnetu died a day later after being found with a severe head injury in Queensway near the carnival area.
Officers themselves have described feeling “practically powerless” to stop crime, with one telling the Metropolitan Police Federation it’s the only event they “genuinely hate policing”. Incidents like this are pounced on by the right-wing press to push a negative narrative around Notting Hill Carnival, but police figures show that arrests per attendee are lower than other festivals such as Reading and Creamfields which don’t have the same reputation. So is Notting Hill genuinely safe to attend? Let’s take a look.
Origins of Notting Hill Carnival
The origins of Notting Hill Carnival lie in both celebration and protest. Kelso Cochrane, a 32-year-old Antiguan-born carpenter was killed in a racially-motivated murder in Southam Street, Notting Hill on May 17, 1959.
The high-profile murder resulted in 1,200 people attending his funeral and a huge show of solidarity against racism. Activists took the issue to Whitehall following allegations of complacency and a police cover-up.
Local campaigners wanted to heal divisions in their community, so in 1966 a community street fayre was held in Notting Hill and attended by people from all backgrounds. The event organised by resident and social worker Rhaune Laslett has since become known as the first ever Notting Hill Carnival event.
The event expanded in the 1970s with the introduction of sound systems and mass bands which attracted more people to the area. The 90s saw hip hop legends Jay Z, Lil’ Kim and Busta Rhymes perform on stages at the event, while the colourful masquerade costumes we see today also became popular at this time. Over almost 60 years it has become the biggest carnival in the world behind Rio de Janeiro, covering practically the entire W10 postcode.
How many people are arrested each year?
In 2024:
-
Two people died – Cher Maximen, 32, was stabbed in front of her daughter; chef Mussie Imnetu later died from a head injury.
-
Eight people were stabbed in total.
-
355 arrests were made (104 on Sunday, 251 on Monday).
For 99.9% of attendees, Carnival is safe and joyful. But in 2024 eight people were stabbed during Notting Hill Carnival. The Metropolitan Police confirmed after the event that 355 people had been arrested at the event in total, with 104 on Sunday and 251 on Monday.
Possessing an offensive weapon was the most common form of arrest with 72 recorded throughout the weekend. This is followed by assaulting an emergency worker and possession of cannabis – both accounting for 54 arrests. Some 108 of the 355 arrests resulted in the suspect being charged.
What is the risk of a crowd crush?
Most of the safety narrative at Notting Hill Carnival surrounds violent crime, but Matt Twist, the Met Police Assistant Commissioner, said crowd density is the “most concerning element”.
He told the Greater London Assembly (GLA) in April that 100 spontaneous crowd incidents were recorded last year. He added that officers were forced to step in multiple times to reduce crowd density and save lives.
Ladbroke Grove on Monday evening has been highlighted as a particular pinch point and concern for crowd management. Assistant Commissioner Twist said: “Last year we had an incident where members of the public were being hoisted up on to scaffolding at the side of the road to get out of what was a really dangerous level of crowd density.”
Unlike other major events like Glastonbury (which even has its own crowd control problems), the entire event is held within tightly packed West London streets. This makes it harder for police to respond quickly to incidents as they arise.
How does it compare to other UK festivals?
This is often an element overlooked. When you compare Notting Hill Carnival to other major UK festivals you’ll find it has a lower rate of arrests per attendee. Notting Hill Carnival is attended by between one and two million people each year. It’s impossible to say for certain as it’s not a ticketed event.
Using the conservative estimate of one million people, this accounted for one arrest per 2,816 attendees in 2024. This is lower than the rate of one arrest per 2,500 people at Creamfields the same year, and one arrest per 2,307 people at Reading Festival.
Organisers have pointed to a downward trend of overall arrests at Notting Hill Carnival compared to previous years, and that combined drug offences (35 per cent) and theft (33 per cent) make up the overwhelming majority.
Notting Hill Carnival Ltd added that the rate of arrest (0.033 per cent) is less than that for all professional football matches in England and Wales (0.042 per cent).
This being said, the nature of arrests related to violent crime is something that makes Notting Hill Carnival stand out. Along with the two high-profile murders in 2024, there were 72 arrests for possessing an offensive weapon – which was the most common individual form of arrest.
Additionally, 12 people were arrested for violence with injury, 21 for other violence (not entirely explained by the Met), two for firearm offences and 54 for assaulting an emergency worker. There were also 13 arrests linked to alleged sexual offences.
Most of the 32 arrests at Creamfields in 2024 were drug-related, while the nature of the 39 arrests at Reading Festival have not been confirmed by Thames Valley Police, but at the same event in 2022 the force said arrests were made for assault, drug supply, criminal damage and public order.
What do officers on the ground think?
In 2024, 7,000 police officers were on duty, drawn from teams across the wider area. There were 14,000 officer shifts in total across the wider event.
The GLA Police and Crime Committee heard in April that relations between police and attendees are generally good. One respondent wrote that officers frequently stepped in to help people who “over indulged or became injured in some way”.
In December 2024, tempers flared between the Metropolitan Police Federation (MPF) and the organisers of Notting Hill Carnival following a scathing survey of officers on duty. It can’t be treated as a reflection of the force as a whole, but involves the opinions of 486 officers who completed the form on the MPF website.
Of those who responded, 28.78 per cent said they had been assaulted while policing the carnival. Asked if they had ever felt unsafe working at the carnival, 88.66 per cent said yes.
Asked to sum up in a sentence how they feel about policing the carnival, responses included “Hell. It’s a war zone we are sent into year after year” and “Dangerous. Officers are treated as lambs to slaughter”. Other comments included “Overstretched, ineffective, and an exercise in self-torture” and “I would rather crawl naked through broken glass”.
Officers also took the opportunity to highlight the draining nature of working the Notting Hill Carnival weekend, with many being made to work between 30 to 40 hours over two days.
In response to the survey, Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward said Carnival was “one of the most iconic cultural and community events in London”, but warned the way it was run needed to be changed.
“But while there have been improvements in recent years, it’s clear there is a need for a step change in the way it is being run if the significant crowd safety risks are to be addressed and to avoid, in a worst case scenario, a mass casualty event caused by overcrowding,” he said.
Notting Hill Carnival Ltd hit back at the report, stating that the survey is “hugely flawed”. A spokesperson said: “It is quite clearly written with an anti-Carnival agenda that the Police Federation highlights every year. It is driven by unsubstantiated quotes and little solid data, designed to create negative headlines.
“The survey returned views at best of just 7 per cent of potential officers on duty and much of it highlights concerns officers have about their general wellbeing at the event in regards to food and rest. This is a staff management issue for the Metropolitan Police.
“The Carnival community is tired of the police using Notting Hill Carnival as cover for their own issues.”
It comes as Met Police officers at this weekend’s Notting Hill Carnival have been ordered by top brass not to dance with revellers, it has been reported. This is because of an emphasis on police being “there to keep revellers safe, and not join in the revelling”, The Guardian reports.
What’s being done by police to reduce violent crime
The Metropolitan Police has arrested 100 people in a bid to deter those they say “pose the greatest risk” to the safety of Notting Hill Carnival. Officers carried out “intelligence-led interventions” and 21 people were recalled to prison, and 11 firearms and more than 40 knives seized.
The force also said 266 people either have police bail or probation licence conditions not to attend the carnival this weekend.
The Met said live facial recognition (LFR) technology – which captures people’s faces in real-time CCTV cameras – will be used on the approach to and from the carnival as well as outside the boundaries of the event.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said earlier this week the force’s rules and safeguards over using the tool “fall short”, and could have a “chilling effect” on individuals’ rights when used.
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley sought to reassure campaign groups that the technology will be used without bias amid concerns it is discriminatory. The force believes the tool is “reliable and effective”, and helps keep Londoners safe.
Alongside the use of LFR technology, the Met also plans to install screening arches at some of the busiest entry points to the carnival, where stop-and-search powers will be used in a bid to keep weapons out.
Recap – is Notting Hill Carnival safe?
There’s no overall objective decision you can make on whether Notting Hill Carnival is safe. Fatal or violent attacks happen every year, but more than 99.9 per cent of the one to two million visitors attend safely every year.
Notting Hill Carnival remains the most visible celebration of Britain’s Caribbean heritage, a tradition which has continued since the Notting Hill’s Windrush community’s initial ambition to promote unity in 1966.
Sign up to our London Court & Crime newsletter for the latest major court updates and breaking news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up HERE
