The Notting Hill Carnival has experienced a series of violent incidents, including a police officer being sexually assaulted and six others being bitten. The Metropolitan Police Federation has deemed the violence at the carnival unacceptable and unsustainable, stating that it is "awful." The event has become a significant cultural event in London, with 275 arrests across the two days of the carnival for various offences. The Metropolitan Police Federation reported that 75 officers were assaulted, six were bitten, one was sexually assaulted, and another is in hospital.
The event has also seen a series of violent incidents, with a 29-year-old man in a critical condition in hospital following the incident shortly after 9 p.m. A 19-year-old man is also in a serious but stable condition in hospital after being stabbed in Ladbroke Grove shortly before 8 pm. Last year, police called for the future of the Notting Hill Carnival to be reviewed after one person was murdered, six others were stabbed, and dozens of officers were assaulted in the first event since 2019.
The event organisers have issued a statement stating that they deplore all acts of violence and will continue to work hard with their partners to protect Notting Hill Carnival and its values. They have also announced that possessing a zombie knife "with no practical use" will carry a jail sentence of up to two years under a crackdown to close loopholes in the law.
Machetes and knives designed to look intimidating and threatening will be made illegal under new legislation expected to be included in this Autumn's King's Speech. The maximum sentence for anyone possessing, selling, manufacturing, or importing the banned weapons will be increased from six months to two years, as will the maximum penalty for selling knives to under 18s. Police will also be given new powers to seize and destroy knives found on private premises if there are reasonable grounds to believe the blade would be used in a serious crime.
The government will also introduce a new offence for possessing bladed articles to endanger life or cause fear of violence. At present, offenders can only be prosecuted for carrying a weapon in public or threatening someone with one. Possession of a machete or zombie knife could also become an "aggravating" factor in any weapons offence, meaning judges could give offenders longer sentences if they used them in any crime.
Policing minister Chris Philp stated that one life lost to knife crime is one too many, and they must do all they can to stop the vile thugs who carry dangerous weapons from their campaign of intimidation and violence.
