Notting Hill Carnival: 330 people banned from festival in massive police operation to stop violence

Police have imposed bail conditions on more than 330 people to stop them attending the Notting Hill Carnival as part of pre-emptive action to stop violence erupting.

Scotland Yard officers also raided a suspected robbery gang in London which may have been planning to target the globally-famous street festival.

A number of known sex offenders have also been banned from attending the event, on its 60th anniversary , and dozens of zombie and other knives have been seized.

Police at the Notting Hill Carnival in 2025 Yui Mok/PA Wire More than 7,000 officers will be deployed to west London over the August Bank Holiday in a huge Met Police operation for the carnival which is forecast to see a mixture of sun and rain on Sunday and Monday.

Commander Claire Smart, Gold Commander for the carnival , said: "The vast majority of people who attend Carnival come to celebrate, enjoy themselves and be part of something unique.

At least a million, possibly two million, people are expected to attend the festival which celebrates Caribbean culture, community and heritage.

Given the scale of the event and previous violent incidents, some local residents and businesses in west London have boarded up their homes and storefronts to prevent them being damaged.

Commander Smart added: "An event of this size inevitably brings challenges.

“Preventing serious violence, protecting women and girls and supporting the event organisers as they work to ensure crowd safety remain key areas of focus.

"We have strengthened our plans to target those who come intending to commit violence or engage in other criminality.

“We will use intelligence-led tactics including stop and search, as well as the increased deployment of live facial recognition cameras, to identify offenders, prevent harm and intervene early wherever possible.”

Performers in costume take part in the main parade of the Notting Hill Carnival in 2024 AFP/Getty In pre-emptive action by the Met:

* People suspected of planning violence at the festival have been arrested and charged. Where charges were not possible, bail conditions were imposed on more than 330 people to stop them attending it.

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