Notting Hill Carnival is a “war zone” in which nearly nine in 10 frontline officers feel unsafe working, a survey by the Metropolitan Police Federation has found.
The federation, which represents 30,000 rank-and-file officers, polled members on their experiences of working the annual carnival. Some 88.66 percent said they feel unsafe policing the carnival and 28.78 percent said they had been assaulted while working at the event.
One officer wrote, “We are practically powerless to police this event.”
“It’s a war zone we are sent into year after year,” another responded.
Other comments describe officers being punched, kicked, hit with objects—including bottles—being spat at, and sexually assaulted.
“I dread this event every year, it gets more violent each time. How many more officers have to get injured or innocent members of the public killed before anything is done?” one respondent wrote.
‘Shocking’ Responses
The survey returned 486 responses, half of which were from those who had policed the event for at least four years.The Metropolitan Police Federation said it collated the dossier—which included the survey results, press clippings, and crime statistics—because while it had articulated officers’ issues relating to policing the event in the past, it lacked the evidence to support those concerns.
Simon Hill, deputy general secretary of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said he was “quite shocked” by the responses.
Hill said: “I knew that the event wasn’t popular, for a whole variety of reasons. But the candour from the officers and some of their descriptions of how they feel, how they felt at carnival and their experiences of being assaulted, quite frankly were shocking.”
The deputy general secretary acknowledged the significance of the Notting Hill Carnival—which celebrates Caribbean culture and has been running for over 50 years—but that “we just want the event to be safe.”
‘Anti-Carnival Agenda’
The organisers of Notting Hill Carnival called the survey “hugely flawed,” saying it was driven by “unsubstantiated quotes and little solid data, designed to create negative headlines.”Notting Hill Carnival Ltd said: “It is quite clearly written with an anti-carnival agenda that the Police Federation highlights every year. It is driven by unsubstantiated quotes and little solid data, designed to create negative headlines.”
Organisers continued: “The survey returned views at best of just 7 percent of potential officers on duty and much of it highlights concerns officers have about their general well-being at the event in regards to food and rest. This is a staff management issue for the Metropolitan Police.
2 Fatalities
Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward said the carnival was “one of the most iconic cultural and community events in London,” but the way it is organised needs to change, in order to ensure crowd safety and prevent a mass casualty event caused by overcrowding.“This can only be achieved with the organisers, local authorities, and City Hall all working in partnership with the police to agree clear lines of responsibility, accountability, and funding in order to deliver a safe event,” he said.
Ward went on to describe the level of crime at the weekend event as “unacceptable,” adding, “Everyone one who values carnival has a responsibility to speak out against the violence that overshadows it and support efforts to make it safer.”
Days after the event finished, police confirmed that the two fatalities were of Cher Maximen, 32, and Mussie Imnetu, 41.
Maximen was with her 3-year-old daughter and other family and friends when she was stabbed in the groin in broad daylight on the Sunday after she tried to intervene in a fight. The following night, Imnetu, a chef, was found unconscious with a head injury near a restaurant in Queensway. Both later succumbed to their injuries.
