UPDATE: Riots Spoil End of Carnival Arrests up at Notting Hill Carnival as police given new search powers

The annual Notting Hill Carnival has been marred by clashes involving around 40 youths as the event drew to a close.

Television footage showed a policeman's face bleeding from bricks and bottles hurled at officers.

Chief Inspector Jo Edwards said: "It was about two hours of attacks on police officers involving bottles being thrown, bricks and other debris that was on the floor. So you know, quite a scary environment for the police officers to be in."

Original Story:

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The UKs biggest annual street festival the Notting Hill Carnival has seen up to 1.5 million revelers attend and have a weekend to remember as it linked into the London Olympic handover spirit with its 'Welcome World' theme.

The press are reporting that arrests at the carnival are up on last year with 98 on the first day and 115 more today, the last day of the carnival.
Considering the size of the event just over 200 arrests for mainly minor offences is not such a big number at a festival of the streets, in the streets, borne of the streets. That arrests are up is no surprise - not because there was noticeably more crime or trouble but with the police adopting new powers of stop and search which they enforced tightly across the carnival and at ground level it appeared particularly against young black men.

A young black professional told this reporter that he was stopped and searched no fewer than 5 times in the course of a two hour walk through the carnival. He was dismayed at this but co-operated with the police and got back to the fun unlike some youngsters who were clearly upset feeling that they were being stopped for no reason this leading to altercations that saw them being arrested for resistance rather than for any other crime.

Other carnival goers felt that the more visible police presence helped them to feel safer especially with the always underlying worry of terrorist action at high profile events like this.

The good natured and peaceful vibe of the event has seen the carnival afternoon pass by joyously despite the possible tensions that such extra policing brought for some and it's been so far a real advert as usual for multi-cultural Britain.
Lets hope the evening passes by without any major problems and that police /community relations aren't harmed by the new stop and search initiative.

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Around 1.5 million people were expected to attend the Bank Holiday event which is in its 44th year.

Among those detained included 10 people who had warrants outstanding for their arrests.

Some 37 were taken into custody for drug offences, six for possessing offensive weapons and eight for assault.

Seven pit bull type dogs were also seized by officers under the Dangerous Dogs Act.

Chief Insp Jo Edwards of the Metropolitan Police said the number of arrests was "slightly higher than normal."

Last year 82 arrests were made on the Sunday.

Officers were given extra powers to stop and search potential criminals in a bid to crack down on violence that has marred the street festival in recent years.

The economy of London could be given a cash injection in excess of £100m this Bank Holiday weekend thanks to the Notting Hill Carnival, it is claimed.

The carnival's marketing director Michael Williams says a growth in visitors following the new Panorama event in central London's Hyde Park and a "likely increase" in the average spend per visitor are the two main factors.

Another is the recent string of new sponsors attracted by the organisers, including D&G soft drinks and the Nice Car Company.

Three years ago a report from the London Development Agency estimated the event was worth more than £90m and supported the equivalent of 3,000 full-time jobs.