Notting Hill Carnival is at risk of a ‘mass casualty event’ like the Hillsborough disaster, the Mayor of London has been warned.
The London Assembly’s Police and Crime Committee said there had been a number of worrying incidents around crowd density, with fears officers will be unable to respond to emergencies.
Around 2 million people attend the festival every year, which celebrates Caribbean heritage.
But the Metropolitan Police has consistently raised concerns about the festival which takes place every August bank holiday weekend.
It comes after two people, including a mum-of-one, were killed at last year’s event.
Cher Maximen was stabbed to death in front of her daughter at the carnival’s family day.
Chef Mussie Imnetu was found unconscious outside of a restaurant in Queensway, and was pronounced dead in hospital.
‘I’ve seen buggies being lifted into the air’
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Some carnival-goers agree that something needs to change.
Lauren Daisy-Jones, who runs Luminosity Glitter which works at the event, said last year was the first time in 18 years she decided not to go.
She told Metro: ‘I love Notting Hill Carnival, I have even set up my business around on it, but I didn’t go last year due to overcrowding.
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‘I went the year before, and parts of the route were extremely bottle-necked. I saw children at the centre of crushes and buggies being lifted over the crowds.
‘I reached one of the bottle necks in my costume and suddenly realised I was very unsafe. I left early.’
‘We are sat waiting for a tragic accident’
Susan Hall, chair of the committee, told the assembly: ‘We cannot stand by and wait for a tragic incident to happen, action must be taken.
‘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.’
Last year, Met commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, said: ‘Even though there are crime risks, we are more worried about the crowd risks.
‘We try to reduce the risk of a Hillsborough-type [disaster] but we’re mitigating something that is unsatisfactory.’
Notting Hill Carnival organisers said they use a number of experts to help run the event, and had 3,300 stewards on duty last year.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been urged to commission a review into crowd safety at the 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.’
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