Notting Hill Carnival: Police launch fresh wave of dawn raids across London

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Police have arrested more than 300 people in a crackdown on drug dealers and gang members ahead of the Notting Hill Carnival.

More than 30 people were held today in dawn raids in Kensington, Notting Hill, Hammersmith & Fulham, Westminster, Wandsworth and Lewisham and drugs and weapons were seized in a bid to target troublemakers ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend event.

Since August 11, officers have made more than 290 other arrests for a variety of offences and have recovered 190 knives and 18 firearms.

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend the carnival amid police fears that it could be blighted by rising levels of violence and knife crime.

Raid: A woman is led away by a police officer
Jeremy Selwyn

Five people were arrested at a maisonette near Portobello Road, Notting Hill, and two underage girls who had been reported missing were found in a bedroom.

A man aged 60 was arrested at a flat in Bevington Road, Notting Hill, on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of drugs, while in south-east London three men and two women were held after £60,000 of uncut crack cocaine was found.

The crackdown against knife crime, drugs and child exploitation was carried out by more than 100 officers from the Metropolitan Police, City of London Police and the British Transport Police.

Suspect: police take away a man in a raid in North Kensington today
Jeremy Selwyn

Police said that if some of those arrested were bailed, they would seek conditions forbidding them from attending the carnival. Officers known as “super recognisers” will be in the area and monitoring CCTV.

Chief Superintendent Robyn Williams, the Met’s spokesman for Notting Hill Carnival, said: “We are committed to ensuring that Carnival remains a safe, vibrant and enjoyable event — troublemakers are not welcome.”

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