The Metropolitan Police has been accused of releasing misleading figures about how many officers were injured during this year’s Notting Hill Carnival.
Previous statements had claimed 74 officers were injured over the course of the two-day event.
In a press release issued on August 30, the force said: ‘A number of those injuries were as a result of incidents involving assaults.’
But new figures suggest the number of injuries sustained was in fact far lower.
Lawyer and campaigner Gemma Abbott compiled data after submitting a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the Metropolitan Police.
She was informed, via the response, there had been ‘double counting’ and a total of 60 various injuries had in fact been recorded on the Met’s database.
According to the data, officers were injured for a whole manner of reasons – not solely as a result of interactions with attendees.
Three incidents were due to slips, trips or falls.
A further 13 were caused by lifting and handling, while another officer hurt their back ‘from carrying or wearing officer safety equipment’.
A total of 27 officers were in fact physically assaulted, according to the data, but only one incident resulted in an injury which lasted more than three days.
Ms Abbot wrote on Twitter: ‘Remember when the Met Police Federation told us 74 police officers were injured at Notting Hill Carnival?
‘I thought it might be worth asking the Met via FOI if that was true &, if so, what injuries had occurred They replied today. Turns out the numbers weren’t quite right…’
According to her data, five of the reported injuries were caused after officers were ‘struck by an object’ while another four were ‘struck against’.
Two officers suffered injuries after they were struck by moving vehicles while another four were listed as having ‘another kind of accident’ during the Carnival.
One officer was recorded in the log after they were ‘exposed to a substance’ which cause a bruise on their hand.
Metro.co.uk contacted the Met for a response to the data.
A comment from DAC Jane Connors, who was oversaw the policing operation for the 2022 Notting Hill Carnival, was provided.
She said: ‘Notting Hill Carnival is a unique event for London, celebrating the capital’s rich cultural diversity and history. Due to the scale of the event and huge numbers of people it attracts, it is always very busy and challenging to police and we work for months with partners to plan and be ready for the event.
‘Thousands of officers from across the Met were deployed over the Bank Holiday weekend and for the most part, they experienced an event which was good natured and people who were there to celebrate and have fun.
‘It is hugely disappointing and totally unacceptable that during the celebrations, officers were injured and assaulted on duty and had to deal with a number of violent incidents, including the senseless murder of a young man.
‘Going forward, we will continue work closely with organisers to ensure it is as safe an event as it can be.’
At the time of the Carnival, the Met Police Federation had taken to Twitter to voice anger at assaults made against staff.
The force had tweeted: ‘These are people’s sons and daughters. These are children’s mothers and fathers. This happens every year. It’s an utter disgrace.’
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