Notting Hill swoop: Terrified choir barricade themselves in church as armed police descend on west London street

Huge operation: Armed police swooped on Notting Hill
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Terrified choristers were barricaded in a church and residents ordered to stay in their homes as armed police swooped on gang suspects in a dramatic operation in Notting Hill.

Balaclava-wearing police marksmen scaled the rooftops of townhouses during three hours of anti-gang raids in the area by the Met’s specialist Trident officers.

Church member Jake Elsely, a property entrepreneur, documented events online as the choir locked themselves inside All Saints Church in Clydesdale Road.

He tweeted: “Please pray. We are locked in the church. Shooting outside and armed police outside. This choir practice just got very scary.”

Police swoop: Officers descend on Notting Hill (NIGEL HOWARD ©)
NIGEL HOWARD ©

Witnesses said they saw police helicopters overhead and search lights sweeping across Colville Square at about 7.50pm yesterday as marksmen shone laser sights into back gardens.

A woman who lives on Colville Square said: “We heard there could be people with guns and [were] told to stay inside.

“Police were focusing on flats across the square where there’s scaffolding, they said one of the guys they were looking for was on the roof.

“It was all very scary to see so close to home, especially because we didn’t know really what was going on.”

Another woman said: “Police with guns all up the street and checking the scaffolding.

“People are being shouted at to stay in their homes and lasers are being pointed into gardens.”

A resident of Colville Terrace said: “I saw the police search the garden of Colville Square before they eventually found the guys and arrested two of them near the area. They were armed with pretty big knives.”

A spokeswoman for the Met said five people were arrested and a number of knives seized.

She said: “Detectives from the Trident and Area Crime Command, supported by firearms officers, carried out a pre-planned operation in the Colville Square area of Notting Hill.

“Five people were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm.

Huge operation: Armed police swooped on Notting Hill (NIGEL HOWARD ©)
NIGEL HOWARD ©

“They have been taken to a south-west London police station where they remain in custody. A number of knives were recovered during the operation.”

The area around Portobello Road, Colville Square, Colville Terrace and Talbot Road was sealed off for about three hours before the cordon was lifted at around 10.30pm.

Operation Trident is a Met Police unit set up in 1998 to tackle gun crime following a series of shootings in Lambeth and Brent.

Naveen Arles, 39, artistic director of the London International Gospel Choir, said there were 80 members practising for their Christmas concert when the raid began.

He said: “People were scared by the commotion and worried about what was going on outside. People thought there were shots being fired outside. We finish at 9pm so people didn’t know if they’d be able to get home.

“So many people are coming to our Christmas show the decision was taken to carry on singing as normal.

“People just kept calm and carried on with the rehearsals as it was going on outside.”

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