Thousands of officers are set to be on duty this weekend as the infamous event returns to west London.

The Met has said it has been “working meticulously for months” on plans to police the first Notting Hill Carnival since the pandemic.

Outreach officers will be patrolling to listen to any concerns and answer queries from members of the public. The teams will be made up from officers from units including Safer Neighbourhoods Teams, Territorial Support Group and the Roads and Transport Policing Command.

‘Safer spaces’ are additionally being implemented for women and girls, where specially trained professionals will be on call as well as members of the police.

The Met Federation has previously called for a review in light of the pressure the event places on frontline officers.

In 2007 there were two separate shootings and one year later 300 people were arrested for public order offences- a number that has remained stable each year since then.

Meanwhile, in 2019, 37 of 353 people arrested were held for assaulting officers.

In 2020, following the cancellation of the annual event due to the pandemic, the Met Fed said it was an ideal opportunity to rethink how the carnival was run when it returns.

The Mayor of London's office responded saying it would not support such a review. 

However, this year may be more difficult than ever in light of recent events and current attitudes to policing.

Earlier in the week, Dame Lynne Owens, the future interim Deputy Commissioner tweeted: “Spoke with DAC Jane Connors & Commander Ade Adelekan who are the Gold & Silver Commanders for Notting Hill Carnival this weekend. Clearly working tirelessly to ensure the event is safe & the policing response sets the right tone.”

The Federation wellbeing lead, Belinda Goodwin, responded, making a plea that officers' welfare was at the forefront. 

Dr Alison Heydari, Commander of Local Policing, said: “Being able to attend Carnival in person has been sorely missed for the last couple of years, so we are expecting large crowds in the Notting Hill area this weekend.

“We are looking forward to policing the event and being amongst the communities who visit year in and year out, contributing to the celebration across the bank holiday."