The number of people stopped and searched at Notting Hill Carnival in 2023 is more than twice as many as in 2022, Caroline Russell has uncovered today.
While 371 people were stopped at the Carnival in 2022, that number rose to 798 in 2023, a 115 per cent increase. [1]
Both years, nearly 80 per cent of these stops resulted in no further action being taken by police, calling into question the reasoning behind over 600 of the stop and searches this year.
This rise in both stops and no further actions comes despite the Commissioner’s desire for more precision in policing, which he outlined in his New Met for London Plan. [2]
Green Party London Assembly Member Caroline Russell said:
“638 people had their day at Notting Hill carnival wrecked by being pulled out of the crowd and searched without any further police action.
“I witnessed stop and searches that appeared to be random and lacking any intelligence behind them, simply serving to intimidate festivalgoers. It certainly seemed a far cry from the precise policing the Commissioner has promised.
“This dragnet approach by the Met must stop if they hope to regain the trust and confidence of Londoners.”
Notes to editors
Caroline Russell AM is available for interview.
The data is for the stop and searches that occurred on Sunday and Monday in the Carnival footprint and comes from a question to the Mayor asked by Caroline Russell AM.
[1] See Table 1
[2] A New Met for London, July 2023
Table 1: Stop and Searches at Notting Hill Carnival, 2022 and 2023