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Let’s keep crime out of Carnival is this year’s message from the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) as their pre-event operation swings into action.

Operation Razorback targets the small minority of criminals and troublemakers, in the run up to the event, which try to ruin Carnival’s unique atmosphere.

This dedicated team has already started gathering information that will help identify those people and stop them from attending this year’s event.

Chief Superintendent Mick Johnson, in charge of the Territorial Support Group, said:

“Carnival is known for its fun and lively atmosphere – people who come to the event to cause trouble ruin the experience for themselves and everyone else.

“We’ll be taking action against those people.

“Operation Razorback has proved its worth by stopping crime at Carnival before it happens and helping us to disrupt those who intend to commit it.

“You too can get involved in rooting it out by letting us know of anyone planning on criminal activity.”

Since 2001, the Razorback team has made over 110 arrests. Last year they clocked up 11 and seized drugs, cash, a pit bull type dog, a stolen car, knives and a loaded gun.

They also picked up a wealth of intelligence from colleagues across the MPS, British Transport Police (BTP) and City of London Police (CoLP), which allowed them to put together a detailed intelligence picture, useful both for Operation Razorback and beyond.

This year at Carnival itself the MPS will continue with policing tactics that work – using stop-and-search and screening wands to check for concealed weapons and to detect and prevent crime.

Officers will also be using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology to stop cars whose owners may be connected to criminal activity.

Last year’s ANPR team uncovered class A drugs and weapons inside cars stopped.

These tactics are designed to stop those with weapons getting into the Carnival area and have been widely supported by carnival-goers.

Ch. Supt. Johnson continued:

“We’re keenly aware that people are concerned about knife and gun crime and that’s why we’re doing all we can to prevent it both through Operation Razorback and during Carnival itself.

“We’ll also be drawing on the expertise of specialist officers from Trident and Operation Blunt 2 to help us with this.

“It’s important to remember that crime rates do remain relatively low at Carnival, especially given the thousands of people who attend.

“Carnival is a fantastic, colourful event that unites the community in celebration – let’s work together to make sure it remains that way.”

Specialist officers from the MPS Central Operations’ Public Order Branch have been working with partners for nearly a year supporting planning for the event.

Thousands of officers will be on duty during the August weekend to police Carnival 2009.

In addition, BTP will be working to make sure revellers can get to and from the celebrations safely on the Tube and rail again this year.

Chief Superintendent David Wildbore, from BTP said:

“The large majority of people go to enjoy the music and the sights and they agree with us that Carnival is no place for weapons or violence.

“BTP will have officers patrolling stations and trains from early in the morning until late at night to make sure carnival-goers and other passengers are safe, and also feel safe, when using the network.

“Anyone who is aggressive or violent towards other passengers or rail staff will be proactively dealt with.

“Officers will also be running Operation Shield which involves metal detection arches that can be very quickly set up and moved from station to station sending a clear message to anyone thinking of bringing a weapon to the event that we could be anywhere and will be making arrests.

“People should also remember that alcohol is banned on the Tube and so they can’t carry any open containers when travelling.”

Chris Boothman, lead director of the London Notting Hill Carnival board, said:

“The organisers of the Notting Hill Carnival and the wider carnival community support ‘Operation Razorback’ and will continue to work with the police to ensure carnival revellers and residents enjoy this year’s event in safety.

“Carnival is a free, fun, family day out that brings hundreds of thousands of people of all communities together from across the capital and beyond.

“It is an artistic spectacle that can’t be matched and the firm message from us and the police is that trouble makers are not welcome.”

Anyone with any information about people heading to the event to commit crime or cause trouble should call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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