Fourth stabbing at Notting Hill Carnival as arrests hit 249

A fourth person has been stabbed at the Notting Hill Carnival in west London as the number of arrests over the two days reaches 249, the Metropolitan Police has said, Report informs via BBC.

The victim of Monday's stabbing suffered non-life threatening injuries, police added.

Officers had made 145 arrests as of 19:00 BST on Monday, mostly for possessing an offensive weapon or drug offences, which were in addition to the 104 on Sunday. Sixteen people were held for assaulting emergency workers, four for sexual offences and one for having a firearm.

More than a million people were expected at Carnival on Monday, a majority of whom police said had come "to celebrate" with a "minority of people using it as an opportunity to commit crime, including violence".

Thousands of officers were deployed to the annual street party, which the force said was a "challenging event to police with very dense crowds".

Police also said they had seized 41 weapons other than firearms on Monday. One of the people arrested was a man wanted for an attempted murder in Hackney in July.

Three people were also stabbed on Sunday, with one fatality "narrowly avoided", police said. A woman who was stabbed while with her child remained in a critical condition on Monday morning, according to police.

Met Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said that Carnival was supposed to be a "family day" but was "marred by unacceptable violence".

“We are tired of saying the same words every year," he said. "We are tired of telling families that their loved ones are seriously injured, or worse. We are tired of seeing crime scenes at Carnival."

During the previous two carnivals, one person was killed, 14 others were stabbed and more than 125 police officers were assaulted.

About 500 arrests were made at the carnival during those two years.

Measures had been taken to reduce crime and violence, including implementing an order that gives officers greater stop and search powers and another that allows police to order the removal of face coverings and arrest those who do not comply.

The Met said it had worked with event organisers for months to secure the event.

Police also partnered with the charity Safer Spaces to set up zones to provide a safe place for women and girls, as groping or sexual assaults often increase in dense crowds, it said.