A record 636 people were arrested during this year’s Notting Hill Carnival, according to updated figures from the Metropolitan Police, as officers dealt with suspected sexual offences, assaults, drugs and weapons offences across the bank holiday weekend.
The total, which has risen from an initial estimate of 560, exceeds the previous record of 528 arrests during the 2025 carnival.
The Metropolitan Police said 242 arrests were made on Sunday and a further 394 on Monday. An additional 193 arrests took place on routes approaching the event.
Those detained included people suspected of sexual offences, assault and possession or supply of drugs. Officers also arrested individuals in connection with weapons offences, with a handgun among 68 weapons recovered through stop and search.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: “The use of live facial recognition technology was expanded this year, leading to 214 alerts, 121 arrests and 86 registered sex offenders being stopped and spoken to.
“Seven registered sex offenders were found to be breaching their conditions or notification requirements and were arrested.
“Stop and search was used extensively as part of the proactive policing approach. It resulted in 68 weapons, including a handgun, being found.”
More than 7,000 officers were deployed across west London during the two-day event, in what the force described as a significant proactive operation designed to prevent violence and protect public safety.
The carnival was nevertheless marked by serious incidents. A man believed to be in his 20s died after entering a canal while being pursued by officers near Harrow Road.
Police also responded to two separate knife attacks. One person was stabbed and another was slashed, although neither incident resulted in injuries considered life-threatening.
The increased arrest total comes despite the Metropolitan Police saying serious violence at the carnival has continued to decline.
Commander Claire Smart, the Gold Commander responsible for the policing operation, said serious violence had “noticeably diminished for the second consecutive year”.
She attributed the reduction to “not just proactive policing and a determined effort to target our efforts on those posing the greatest risk of harm, but of a collaborative partnership approach to the delivery of the whole event”.
The Met said the expanded use of live facial recognition formed part of a wider strategy to identify individuals considered to pose a risk, while stop and search was used to intercept people carrying prohibited weapons.
Smart also praised Notting Hill Carnival Ltd for taking on event management and crowd safety responsibilities that had previously been handled by police.
“They have delivered a challenging event well and in doing so have allowed us to focus our resources on our core role of tackling crime,” she said.
The latest figures underline the scale of the policing operation required to manage one of Europe’s largest street festivals, while highlighting the tension between the record number of arrests and the force’s assessment that serious violence has fallen.
The Met has said its focus was on targeting the minority of attendees intent on violence while allowing the vast majority of visitors to enjoy the carnival peacefully.
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