10 Nov 2017 | 12:30 AM UTC
United Kingdom: Police arrest five in Notting Hill November 9 /update 1
British police arrest five people, confiscate knives in planned Operation Trident mission in London’s Notting Hill neighborhood November 9
Event
London Metropolitan Police launched a planned operation near Colville Square in London's Notting Hill neighborhood at roughly 20:00 (local time) on Thursday, November 9. Police arrested five people in the operation who were allegedly conspiring to commit grievous bodily harm, and confiscated several knives. Parts of nearby Portobello Road and Talbot Road were cordoned off to the public during the operation, and the area was in lockdown as local residents were instructed to not leave their homes.
As of 23:00 (local time), the associated police investigation was still ongoing and police officers were still in the area. However, the cordoned off area has been reopened as of 23:15, per local media reports. Metropolitan Police stated that the planned operation was carried out by Operation Trident officers.
Context
Operation Trident is a unit of the London Metropolitan Police Service originally assembled in 1998 to mitigate gun crime after a series of shootings were perpetrated in London's Lambeth and Brent boroughs. Since 2012, the Trident unit has been tasked with the broader mission of curbing organized gang crime in London.
Advice
Individuals present in London are advised to monitor developments to the situation in Notting Hill, and to follow all official instructions issued by relevant authorities.
