The London Notting Hill carnival, which opens this coming Sunday 28th August 2011, will take place under the nervous eye of an unprecedented police presence. As a direct result of the recent rioting in London, police are planning to flood the event with 10,000 police personnel on each day of the two day carnival.
Notting Hill, which is the largest street festival in Europe and has been an annual fixture in London since 1964, was under threat of closure this year. This was because of fears that criminal elements might take it as an opportunity to re-ignite the rioting of earlier this month.
Million Visitors
With over a million visitors expected to attend the two day carnival, the risks to public order are substantial, but cancelling the 80 float event would have had a "'negative impact" according to the organisers, London Notting Hill Carnival Limited (LNHCL).
Police are also taking a pro-active approach to public order this year, having already detained a number of potential troublemakers in a series of pre-emptive police raids. Also the number of those detained in custody from the recent riots is running at close to ten times the usual amount for 'normal' arrests.
It is believed that this is all part of the preparations for the Notting Hill weekend, as the authorities leave no stone unturned in trying to keep potential rabble-rousers off the streets. Commander Steve Rodhouse of Scotland Yard has said that police intelligence suggests a threat from a small number of gang members exists and is being closely monitored.
Curfew
This year there will be a curfew at 7pm to help crowds to disperse in daylight and so minimise the risks of unruly or violent behaviour.
The event has had a chequered history regarding hooliganism and in 1976 police fought running street battles with rioters when the event was turned into a 'race riot'. Over a hundred police officers and sixty revellers were hospitalised on that occasion. However in recent years the police and local community leaders have worked together to create an event with a worldwide reputation for peace and harmony.
Despite the obvious risks, this years event offers an opportunity for London to redeem its public image, before the run up to next year's Olympic Games begins in earnest. Until next Tuesday however, the risk of it exacerbating an already delicate situation, remains.
Sources;
The Official London Nottinghill Carnival Website
Philip Beckwith - I write for pleasure and profit on anything that inspires me, be it social history, food, the paranormal or the human condition. Even ...
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