By Charlotte Webster-
Carnival revellers will be made to pass through knife arches in an airport-style metal detectors check at this years Notting Hill Carnival . The aim is to deter and catch criminals carrying knives.
With so many young lives lost this year and in the years gone by, the British public and the government have been sitting on a youth epidemic. A crisis to which no complete answers have been provided, unless none exist. Even so, any measure that serves as an effective deterrent to knife crime is good.
The knife arches are to be openly deployed for the first time at several “strategic” entrances to the carnival area this weekend in a bid to avoid violence among gangs. They will replace old style metal detectors formerly used by British Transport Police at Underground stations near the carnival area. Gang members and thugs who attend the carnival armed with a knife need to think again. These knife arches will be placed at positions knife carrying thugs will be unable to predict. but have not been set up in the street.
“We have no specific intelligence about that but we want to reassure the public that they will be coming into a safe environment and the police intend to keep it that way. “We hope this will deter people who might think about coming to carnival with a knife and detect people who are carrying knives. Specially selected officers from the Violent Crime Task Force, will be working with local police to spot trouble makers.