Concerns about Notting Hill Carnival have been raised by both a police officers’ group and Met Police boss Sir Mark Rowley, with questions over safety and whether organisers can secure funding for extra stewards in time.
00:00Deputy General Secretary of the Metropolitan Police Federation, Simon Hill, said none of the frontline officers he speaks to look forward to working at the Notting Hill Carnival amid concerns there could be a deadly crush due to the size of the crowds that the carnival attracts.
00:23Carnival chairman Ian Comfort recently requested more funding from the government to steward the event and address safety concerns, including ongoing warnings from the police that there could be a tragedy.
00:40A report by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowney for the London Policing Board that meets on Thursday says force bosses are significantly concerned that funding for extra stewards for the August bank holiday event will not be in place in time,
01:02referring to phase one of a review commissioned by organisers that looks at crowd safety and stewarding.
01:11The report says that they are significantly concerned that with just a matter of weeks to go until this year's event, the essential funding has not been secured.
01:24And with each week that passes, the ability to successfully implement the phase one recommendations becomes more challenging as event management companies will be hesitant to take on an event at such short notice.
