During the Notting Hill Carnival, one of the biggest street festivals in the world, which takes place every year in west London, eight people were stabbed and hundreds were detained by the police.
Five people were stabbed on the last day of the well-known three-day celebration of British Afro-Caribbean identity, according to a late Monday update from the Metropolitan Police in the nation's capital. Following three knife attacks on Sunday, the force reported that three of the victims of the violence over the long weekend were in critical condition.
On top of the numerous arrests made the day before, police made at least 230 arrests on Monday, including 49 for possessing an offensive weapon. Over the course of the annual August bank holiday weekend event, which draws over one million visitors, three firearms were seized and 35 officers were also injured, AFP reported.
The police numbers were also comparable, similar to the previous year, when there were about 300 arrests and 10 stabbings. During the funfair, hundreds of thousands of people crammed into west London's streets, illuminating the Notting Hill neighbourhood and the surrounding areas with vibrant costumes, dancing and music.
The event, which has frequently been tarnished by violence, particularly knife crime, has over 7,000 officers on duty. Despite this, the great majority of people enjoy it without any incidents.
Ade Adelekan, the deputy assistant commissioner for the Mets, he was "tired of saying the same words every year" after a mother and kid were attacked while attending the carnival.
He urged carnival-goers to report any crimes they witness and said, "We only very narrowly avoided a fatality."
Originating in the 1950s following the initial wave of post-World War II arrival from former British colonies, British Afro-Caribbean culture is now widely celebrated.
This colourful annual celebration features feathered dancers, steel bands, and earth-shaking sound systems.