Met police fear 'mass casualty event' at carnival

There are concerns over crowd safety at the carnival

The London Assembly is calling for a review of crowd safety at Notting Hill Carnival amid police concerns about "a mass casualty event" at the two-day festival.

Susan Hall AM, chair of the assembly's Police and Crime Committee, said there have been "a number of incredibly worrying incidents with crowd density" at the carnival.

She raised concerns about the Metropolitan Police's ability "to keep visitors safe or to respond to any incidents that occur".

The committee said the mayor should conduct a full review of pinch points and there should be strict guidance for the number of stewards required across the carnival.

Around 7,000 Met police officers were on duty at last year's carnival

The committee also noted the Notting Hill Carnival is a "unique celebration of Caribbean culture and history" and attracts around two million visitors each year.

However, the volume of people also creates "a complex policing challenge".

As part of its policing operation for the 2024 Carnival, the Met had around 7,000 officers on duty, drawn from local policing teams as well as specialist units, with a total of around 14,000 officer shifts across the whole event.

Giving evidence to the committee in September 2024, the Met's Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: "While we acknowledge the crime often gets the headlines, the thing that worries me most is the crowd density and the potential for a mass casualty event."

Ms Hall said on Tuesday, after the publication of the committee report on public order policing in London: "We cannot stand by and wait for a tragic incident to happen, action must be taken."

She added: "Two people tragically lost their lives at last year's event due to violent crime, and it is absolutely essential that the Met is on hand to carry out its duties, and not fill in for a lack of stewarding from the organisers."

Cher Maximen, a 32-year-old mother and Mussie Imnetu, 41, who had been visiting London from Dubai, were both murdered at the carnival last year.

Two million people attend the carnival over two days

The Notting Hill Carnival takes place over two days over the August Bank Holiday along a three-and-a-half mile (5.6km) route in north Kensington, west London, and has been running for more than 50 years.

The organisers, Notting Hill Carnival Ltd, have said they use "experts from all areas of event organisation" and had 3,300 stewards on duty in 2024 to help manage crowds.

The new report from the assembly's policing committee also says increased public order demand in central London is putting the Met under strain, and this has not been matched with an increase in funding from the government.

It said: "Officers who have undertaken specialist public order training are now stepping back from public order work in increasing numbers, due to the demand of regular weekend shifts and impact on family life.

"The Met continues to rely on 'abstraction', where local officers are taken away from regular duties at short notice to support public order operations in central London.

"Taking neighbourhood officers away from their regular duties is having a continuing impact on local policing services."