Thousands of police officers will be on duty this weekend as Notting Hill Carnival returns.
Carnival is one of the world’s most significant street festivals. Every year around a million people come to celebrate and take part in what has become a fixture in London’s cultural calendar.
But for many reasons it is also a challenging event to police with very dense crowds and a regrettable history of a minority of people using it as an opportunity to commit crime, including violence.
Commander Charmain Brenyah, the Met’s spokesperson for this year’s event, said: “Having grown up not far from where Carnival takes place I have many happy memories of the music, costumes, floats and fantastic atmosphere.
“That is the experience I want everyone coming to Carnival this year to have and we will work closely with the organisers and partners to make that a reality.
“Sadly, however, we know that for a minority of people, Carnival is an opportunity to commit crime or to seek out violent confrontation.
“As a police officer on duty in previous years I’ve seen both the Carnival I experienced in my youth, but also the other side of the same event when, later in the day, the atmosphere changes in some parts, with floats and costumes giving way to serious violence.
“It was a challenging environment to work in and one which over the past two years has seen more than 500 arrests, 15 stabbings including one that was fatal, and more than 125 police officers assaulted. These incidents can’t be downplayed or dismissed.
“It is for that reason that anyone going to Carnival will see a very significant policing presence. We’re there to keep you safe – if you see us say hello – but we’re also there to intervene decisively against those intent on violence.”
Around 7,000 officers will be on duty to keep everyone attending safe and to respond to any incidents. Met officers, who will be drawn from local policing teams as well as specialist units, will be supported by colleagues from the City of London Police and the British Transport Police.
The operation follows months of detailed planning with the event organisers, local authorities and other partners. All involved in that collaborative effort share the objective of delivering a safe and secure Carnival.
Officers will be maintaining a vigilant presence in and around Carnival in an effort to identify and intervene against anyone intent on committing violence. They will use their search powers where there are grounds to do so in order to take weapons off the streets.
There is no indication at all that those responsible for fuelling or participating in the recent disorder seen in London and further afield plan to attend Carnival. However, residents and Carnivalgoers alike can be reassured that we will deal with them swiftly and decisively in the unlikely event that they do.
Sadly, we also know that where events involve dense crowds, there are more opportunities for offenders to hide in plain sight as they target women and girls. In such circumstances we can see an increase in groping and other assaults of a sexual nature.
We would urge anyone who is the victim of such an offence, or who witnesses it, to tell an officer as soon as possible so we can offer support and gather the best evidence.
Once again this year, the charity Safer Spaces will be setting up zones across the event to provide a place of rest or refuge for women and girls. Independent of the police, we are working closely with them to support the important work they do. Anyone who, for whatever reason, does not feel comfortable approaching an officer can seek support from the Safer Spaces team.
While criminality poses an obvious concern to the Met given our core role, crowd safety and in particular crowd density is also a key consideration.
Last year’s event saw the introduction of a specialist Crowd Management Cell to monitor crowd density and flow. It will be in operation again this year.
Commander Brenyah said: “The location of Carnival is deeply rooted in its history and we recognise the significance it holds for many. But numbers have grown so significantly over the years that the scale of the modern day event is unrecognisable compared to that which began decades ago.
“Any event of this size that takes place in a constrained residential area, particularly if un-ticketed, will present a potential safety challenge. In recent years we’ve seen a number of occasions where the movement of huge crowds in already tightly packed residential streets has given us serious cause for concern.
“In the coming days we’ll be putting out important guidance for actions that those attending Carnival can take if they feel unsafe in a crowd. I’d urge everyone to read and do their best to remember them.”
The Met has also partnered with the independent charity Crimestoppers to provide the public with a specific route to report any concerns about individuals planning to disrupt Carnival this year.
If you have any such information, whether about criminality, disruptive protest, or other security threats, please tell Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111 or by filling in this online form.
