The 2024 Notting Hill Carnival is facing increasing scrutiny after concerns have emerged over

the safety of attendees. The London Assembly is calling for a thorough review of crowd management

at one of the most iconic and beloved events on the city’s calendar. The Metropolitan Police (Met) is now fearing a “mass casualty event” due to overcrowding and the growing complexity of policing this massive celebration of Caribbean culture and history.

The Notting Hill Carnival, a two-day festival held each August Bank Holiday in the vibrant heart of west London, regularly attracts more than two million visitors. Known for its lively street parades, vibrant costumes, infectious music, and colorful celebration of Caribbean heritage, the carnival has become a major cultural event. However, with its staggering numbers of attendees comes an enormous challenge for law enforcement and event organizers.

Susan Hall, the chair of the London Assembly’s Police and Crime Committee, voiced serious concerns after a series of disturbing incidents in previous years that highlighted dangerous crowd density. Hall has emphasized that the Met Police is facing a critical test in ensuring the safety of the public, particularly when it comes to managing large crowds and responding quickly to emergencies.

“While we acknowledge that crime often grabs the headlines, the issue of crowd density and the potential for a mass casualty event is what worries me the most,” said Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist of the Met Police. His concerns echo those of the Assembly, which has called on Mayor Sadiq Khan to review crowd management strategies and ensure that there are clear, enforceable guidelines for the number of stewards required to maintain order.

The sheer scale of the event means that every year, the Met deploys a small army of officers to ensure public safety. For the 2024 carnival, around 7,000 officers were on duty, with a total of 14,000 officer shifts scheduled over the course of the festival. Despite these significant resources, Hall and others have raised doubts about the ability of the police to effectively manage such large crowds without sufficient stewarding support from event organizers.

The 2024 report from the Police and Crime Committee underscores the growing strain placed on the Met due to the rising demand for public order services, particularly in central London. This surge in public order requirements has not been matched with an increase in government funding, leaving officers stretched thin. Specialist officers trained for public order duties are reportedly opting to step back due to the relentless nature of weekend shifts and the toll it takes on their personal lives.

“The increased pressure on the Met means that local officers, who would typically focus on community policing, are being abstracted to support public order operations,” the report states. “This is having a serious impact on local services, and it’s clear that the system is not sustainable in the long term.”

A key area of concern for the committee is the physical layout of the carnival itself, which sprawls across a 5.6 km (3.5-mile) route in the bustling Notting Hill area. The carnival is a free event, and with so many people flocking to this vibrant celebration of Caribbean culture, the logistics of crowd control are becoming more difficult each year. Hall has called for an urgent review of the carnival’s “pinch points” – those areas where crowding is most likely to become dangerous – and for the establishment of stricter guidelines for how many stewards are required to monitor the flow of people.

These concerns have taken on an even more pressing tone following the tragic events of the previous year. Two individuals, Cher Maximen, a 32-year-old mother, and Mussie Imnetu, 41, who was visiting London from Dubai, were murdered at the carnival in 2023. Their deaths, which resulted from violent crime, cast a long shadow over the event and added weight to the calls for greater attention to safety and policing. The violence at last year’s carnival highlighted the urgent need for not just crowd management, but for a greater focus on preventing crime and responding to incidents swiftly.

Despite these concerns, Notting Hill Carnival Ltd, the event’s organizing body, maintains that they have a robust strategy in place for managing the carnival. Organizers have pointed to the 3,300 stewards deployed across the event in 2024, a significant increase in the number of personnel tasked with ensuring crowd safety. The organizers also emphasize that they work with experts from all areas of event management to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all attendees.

However, the balance between ensuring public safety and preserving the carnival’s celebratory atmosphere is a delicate one. The carnival’s unique blend of music, dance, and cultural expression is an integral part of London’s identity. Any major changes to crowd management could risk altering the event’s character, and many are wary that heavy-handed interventions could detract from the very essence of what the carnival represents.

Moreover, the increasing demand for public order services in central London has raised alarm bells about the sustainability of current policing strategies. As noted in the committee’s report, there is a growing reliance on ‘abstraction’ – where officers are pulled from their regular duties in local communities to support public order events in central areas like Notting Hill. This leaves neighborhoods vulnerable and stretches the available police force even thinner.

The political ramifications of these issues cannot be ignored. Hall’s call for a review of crowd management is more than just a safety concern – it’s a political issue that calls into question the adequacy of funding for the Met Police and the broader implications of event policing in London. The growing strain on the police is seen by many as a direct result of years of underfunding and cuts to local services, which have left the Met struggling to maintain a high standard of service across the city.

While some officials have stressed the importance of continuing to celebrate the carnival in all its glory, the safety of Londoners remains the top priority. The tragic events of previous years serve as a grim reminder of the potential dangers posed by overcrowded public events. As the 2024 carnival approaches, the call for action has never been more urgent. The question now is whether the necessary steps will be taken to ensure that the event can continue to be a safe, vibrant celebration of Caribbean culture or if the pressures of crowd management and policing will force organizers and authorities to rethink their approach entirely.

In the coming weeks, as plans for the carnival move forward, all eyes will be on how these safety concerns are addressed. Will a more comprehensive approach to crowd management and policing be implemented, or will the Notting Hill Carnival face another year of mounting pressure, both from the public and from the authorities tasked with keeping it safe? Only time will tell, but the stakes could not be higher.