Businesses end boarding up retailers forward of Notting Hill Carnival
Final preparations are underway for the Notting Hill Carnival as hundreds of buildings have been boarded up ahead of the march this weekend.
Shops, businesses and homes were seen being barricaded along the Carnival route as large crowds are set to fill the west London neighbourhood from tomorrow.
The festival has attracted some criticism over crime levels, with over 500 arrests having been made in the last two years alone.
Security barriers were seen being erected around pubs and terrace homes, with two million revellers and performers expected to descend on the parade route on Saturday.
This year’s Carnival will see a significant police presence, with 7,000 officers deployed on streets to tackle violence and confiscate any weapons.
Homes are boarded up ahead of the Notting Hill Carnival this weekend
Men install boardings around shops, as up to two million people are expected to descend on the neighbourhood
Security barriers are erected around a shop in Notting Hill ahead of the Carnival
A whole corner of shops boarded up ahead of the festival which starts tomorrow
The festival, which is held annually over the August Bank Holiday weekend, first took place in 1966.
But violence in recent years has led to discussions between councils and the Met Police as to whether to relocate the Carnival, with some suggestions the event could be moved to Hyde Park.
Revellers at last year’s festival were arrested for offences including possession of offensive weapons including guns, assaults, possession of drugs and sexual offences.
Since 2018, the Carnival has been the scene of 54 stabbings, including one fatal incident in 2022.
Rapper Takayo Nembhard, 21, was killed as the festivities were winding down on August 29, 2022.
Met Police Commander Charmain Brenyah said recent editions of the Carnival had been a ‘challenging environment to work in’.
She said: ‘Having grown up not far from where Carnival takes place I have many happy memories of the music, costumes, floats and fantastic atmosphere.
‘That is the experience I want everyone coming to Carnival this year to have and we will work closely with the organisers and partners to make that a reality.
‘Sadly, however, we know that for a minority of people, Carnival is an opportunity to commit crime or to seek out violent confrontation.
‘As a police officer on duty in previous years I’ve seen both the Carnival I experienced in my youth, but also the other side of the same event when, later in the day, the atmosphere changes in some parts, with floats and costumes giving way to serious violence.
Graffit-covered boards cover up The Elgin pub in Notting Hill
Security barriers protect properties from the huge crowds expected to descend on streets in West London this weekend
Terraced house in the affluent neighbourhood are covered up with wooden boards ahead of the festival
Dancers parade through the streets of West London on the final day of the parade in August 28, 2023
Performers at the Notting Hill Carnival make their way through the streets on August 28, 2023
‘It was a challenging environment to work in and one which over the past two years has seen more than 500 arrests, 15 stabbings including one that was fatal, and more than 125 police officers assaulted. These incidents can’t be downplayed or dismissed.’
Questions have also been raised over the costs of managing the large un-ticketed event, while proponents have pointed to its large economic contribution to the area each year.
Last year’s event was estimated to have cost the taxpayer over £11million in policing, including £5million in officers’ overtime, over £500,000 in catering, £200,000 in hotels and over £1.1million for other infrastructure including safer spaces and digital policing.
In the last two years, more than 125 officers have been assaulted over the festival weekend, the Met Police revealed.
The Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents officers, condemned the level of violence as ‘unsustainable’.
A building covered up ahead of the festival in west London
Its chairman, Rick Prior, said: ‘It is just awful and this sort of violence against officers at this event has become normalised.
‘The officers have a right to come to work and expect not to be attacked, injured, sexually assaulted or bitten. Those bitten will have had to be given anti-viral drugs if the skin was broken, and will now need all sorts of tests – it is horrendous.
‘It has almost become a certainty we will have this violence and terrible treatment of police officers every year and it is just not acceptable.
”It is a very difficult event to police and of course we recognise the need for this event but it should perhaps be moved to somewhere like Hyde Park where it would be less problematic to police.’
Workers cover the Walmer Castle pub with wooden boards amid preparations for the August Bank Holiday carnival
Police arrest a reveller at the 2023 Carnival
A young man waves around a machete at Notting Hill Carnival in West London last year
Officers will use a Crowd Management Cell, first introduced in last year’s Carnival, to monitor and control crowd flow across the weekend.
A spokesperson for Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London said: ‘The Notting Hill Carnival is one of the world’s biggest street festivals and is part of the very fabric of our city.
‘The celebration was born out of the Caribbean community in north Kensington and Notting Hill, and the mayor believes that it’s only right that this remains its home.
‘Like with other major events in London the mayor will continue to work with local partners to ensure the event remains safe and enjoyable for all.’
