British police on high later for Notting Hill Carnival

British police flooded part of London with extra officers and authorized the use of tough search powers yesterday at the Notting Hill Carnival, Europe's largest street festival, following riots across England earlier this month.

London's Metropolitan Police said it had invoked extensive search powers that allow officers to stop people - and order them to remove hoods, masks, or other disguises - if they suspect a possibility of serious violence in a specific neighborhood, reports Boston Globe.

A 16-year-old boy and four men have been arrested over the stabbing of a man on the second day of the Notting Hill Carnival in west London.

The victim, who is aged 20, was injured in his abdomen and hand during the attack on Ladbroke Grove, at its junction with Oxford Gardens.

He was taken to hospital after the assault, at about 18:00 BST, and is in a serious but stable condition.

Police have also detained three men aged 20 and a 21-year-old man.

They said they were keen to speak to a man who tried to stop a suspect from leaving the scene by attempting to trip him up, according to BBC News.

The capital's police made 2,000 arrests after the disorder that saw hooded rioters looting businesses, setting buildings alight and fighting pitched battles with officers.

Inspired by Trinidad's carnival, the Notting Hill event was first held in London in 1964 and has grown into one of the world's biggest, generating tens of millions of pounds for London's economy.

In its early days the carnival was marred by ethnic tension between police and youths. Riots there in 1976 inspired the Clash to write their classic protest song "White Riot."

Since then much of the area has become more affluent and home to the rich and famous. It was the setting for the 1999 film "Notting Hill" starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, informs Reuters.