Notting Hill Carnival ‘unsafe’ as celebration RUINED by ‘lawless youths’, claims former police officer

 

Former Police Officer Brands Nottinghill Carnival ‘unsafe’ as celebration RUINED by ‘lawless youths' GB News

Source - GB News 

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By Gabrielle Wilde

Published: 26/08/2024 - 15:45

Notting Hill Carnival has been hit with violence as police say they are aware of three stabbings while 90 people have been arrested so far

A former police officer has claimed that Notting Hill Carnival is "unsafe" and ruined by "lawless youths" as chaos ensued at the annual London event.

7,000 Metropolitan Police officers have been deployed for the two-day event which expects to see more than a million people attend.

So far, police have reported three stabbings and 90 arrests as they launched specialist crowd management to help maintain the festival.

Former police officer Kevin Hurley told GB News: "Things liven up towards the evening and certainly tonight, it becomes pretty much an unpoliced, lawless place.

"You certainly would not see me personally at the carnival from now on because I don't regard it as a safe place to go."

He added: "Just from the police point of view, they try and put as many people out there in the field as they can and they try and moderate some of the excesses that occur, certainly on the last night of the carnival.

"But you know, I don't think there's going to be any solution. There's been talk in the past it should move to Hyde Park and so on, but the issue on it is there's just a huge number of people is extremely noisy, a lot of drink a substantial number of youths who go along there who are relatively lawless in their behaviour.

"Mix all of that stuff in, you'll get trouble. I mean, if the police try and make an arrest anytime from about five onwards tonight and it goes wrong, you'll end up with rioting. It's as simple as that."

It comes as an ex-Scotland Yard detective has fumed at the police for their "two-tiered" approach to the celebration.

Mike Neville said that if the behaviour previously seen at the Carnival was repeated at events such as football matches, "it would be banned".

Neville alleges that officers are "hesitant to make arrests" in fear of being called racist.

"If the behaviour of the Notting Hill Carnival was replicated at football matches or any other event it would be banned," he told The Telegraph.

"You see people openly smoking drugs, abuse of police officers, dancing with female officers to the point of sexual assault."

Scotland Yard has denied allegations it applies two-tier policing to the event.

Commander Charmain Brenyah said: "Officers will be maintaining a vigilant presence in and around the carnival in an effort to identify and intervene against anyone intent on committing violence.

"They will use their search powers where there are grounds to do so in order to take weapons off the streets."