The Metropolitan Police has issued a dispersal order across vast swathes of central London after barriers were erected and park gates locked in a bid to stop crowds of revellers gathering on New Year’s Eve.
The force declared a large area across the capital city had been placed under a dispersal order as officers prepare to tackle anti-social behaviour while ushering in 2026.
‘It gives officers the power to order people to leave the area. Those who refuse to do so are liable to arrest,’ it said, while reasserting London’s spectacular fireworks display was ‘fully sold out’.
‘Please be aware of scammers trying to sell fraudulent tickets. We’ve just arrested three people doing so near Trafalgar Square,’ the spokesperson added.
It comes as barriers were erected and gates have been locked in parks across London ahead of tonight’s celebrations in a bid to prevent partygoers congregating.
Among the famous parks in the capital city that have been blocked off to the public by ‘grotesque’ barriers tonight is Primrose Hill in Camden.
A popular viewing spot for the fireworks with its panoramic views of London, there were an estimated 30,000 people celebrating at the park last year.
But tonight, the area has been turned into a no-go zone for ‘public safety’, with the gates set to be locked until 6am after parks police were axed in a bid to reduce costs.
Areas of the park have been cordoned off with solid green hoarding, while other parts have just the temporary fencing to prevent would-be spectators from entering
London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks as viewed from Primrose Hill. In 2024, 30,000 people gathered in the Royal Park to watch the spectacle but this year revellers will find the park closed
Areas of the royal park have been cordoned off with solid green hoarding, while other parts have just the temporary fencing to prevent would-be spectators from entering.
Meanwhile, Greenwich Park will also be closed to the public, and Hyde Park is set to shutter at midnight to ward off partygoers.
Alexander Palace will also be shut as people were urged by the City of London Corporation not to congregate at Hampstead Heath to avoid impacting the wildlife.
Elsewhere, locals of the famed Primrose Hill voiced their fury at the Royal Park’s decision, branding it an ‘overreaction’.
Amy McKeown, a resident who is part of the Primrose Hill Keepers volunteer group, revealed she had already left the area to celebrate New Year’s Eve with family elsewhere.
‘It is too grotesque to see,’ she said. ‘The park has never been closed like this. This is completely unprecedented.
‘This is a public park where people should be able to come to watch the fireworks. This is exactly what we should be encouraging people to do.’
Catherin Usiskin, who has lived in the area for more than four decades, described the move as ‘an overreaction.
‘It’s just ridiculous,’ she said. It’s such an overreaction. You can’t close down society.’
She revealed Primrose Hill, part of which is in Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s constituency, has become a lot more crowded since she began living there.
‘I understand it’s more difficult to police,’ she said. ‘But since the pandemi,c there has been hysteria over Primrose Hill.’
She said the closure will be harmful to restaurants and pubs in the area, but believes people will still try to gather in the park by climbing over the fencing.
A sign on the fencing surrounding Primrose Hill which has been installed around the park ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations to prevent members of the public entering
For the first time Primrose Hill will be closed on New Year’s Eve, the park will close at 8pm on December 30 and reopen at 6am on January
Ms McKeown said the boarding is similar to barriers those used at one of Britain’s biggest festivals, Glastonbury.
‘The 2024 was successfully policed and went by without incident,’ she added. ‘We have gone from an open event to a huge amount of resources being used to keep people out of the park.’
The Royal Parks charity manages eight parks across London, which include Hyde Park, Greenwich Park, The Regent’s Park and Primrose Hill.
Recently, the organisation announced it would close Primrose Hill to the public for the fireworks event due to ‘limited controls’ in their ability to ‘ensure public safety’.
The closure of the park comes after the Metropolitan Police disbanded the Royal Parks Operational Unit in November in a bid to help plug a £260million funding gap.
Meanwhile, there have been growing concerns about the safety at the park following the fatal stabbing of 16-year-old Harry Pitman on New Year’s Eve 2023.
The schoolboy was in Primrose Hill to watch the fireworks display when Areece Lloyd-Hall, 18, stabbed him in the neck. He was jailed for a minimum of 16 years in November.
The Met Police has claimed it is ‘not accurate to suggest’ the decision to shut Primrose Hill was necessary because the Royal Parks policing team was disbanded.
The park announced the decision that it will close, saying that they have ‘limited controls’ to ensure public safety’. Pictured: A woman walks her dog along barriers surrounding Primrose Hill
Thousands of people at Primrose Hill for New Year’s Eve last year. The Royal Parks charity, who manage Primrose Hill and a further seven parks across London, have claimed the decision to close the park was ‘was not taken lightly’
A force spokesperson said: ‘This isn’t a police decision. It was announced by the Royal Parks weeks ago, citing the challenges they faced in providing the necessary crowd management to safely accommodate up to 30,000 people in the park.
‘Claims that this is a result of the disbanding of the dedicated parks police team are inaccurate.
‘While parks officers had primary responsibility for the area on an everyday basis, they made up just 15 of 145 officers deployed to Primrose Hill on New Year’s Eve last year. Police resources are not a factor here.
‘Our presence tonight is merely in support of the security and stewards deployed by the Royal Parks.
‘We will intervene where offences occur or to maintain public safety, but we are not responsible for controlling access to the park.
‘We wish everyone, including the police officers and other emergency services on duty tonight, a safe and enjoyable New Year’s Eve.’
The force has also warned people not to make a last-minute decision to attend the fireworks event, near the London Eye and Big Ben, as it is ‘fully sold out’.
Commander Nick John, who is in charge of the Met’s New Year’s Eve policing, said: ‘The Royal Parks are urging people not to try to gather at Primrose Hill this year, and we would echo those calls.
Fencing surrounding Primrose Hill which has been installed around the park ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations to prevent members of the public entering
Scotland Yard confirmed there would be a police presence in Primrose Hill to ‘respond to criminality’ but added that preventing access to the park is not its responsibility
‘Please make alternative plans. Anyone trying to access the park will find that it is not possible.’
A spokesperson for the Royal Parks charity said on Monday: ‘The decision to close Primrose Hill on New Year’s Eve was not taken lightly.
‘Last year, an estimated 30,000 people visited Primrose Hill to view the Mayor of London’s New Year’s Eve firework display.
‘This was not an organised event with an event organiser but a gathering in open parklan,d and we have limited controls that we can deploy to ensure public safety.
‘Therefore, we have decided that Primrose Hill will be closed and locked from 8pm on December 30 until January 1.
‘We have been working closely with the Metropolitan Police by encouraging anyone without a ticket to the Mayor of London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks to make alternative arrangements.’
Scotland Yard confirmed there would be a police presence in Primrose Hill to ‘respond to criminality’ but added that preventing access to the park is not its responsibility.
A spokesperson for Alexandra Palace said of their closure: ‘We love a party, just not on New Year’s Eve.
‘Once our festive daytime skate wraps up, we’ll be closing up for the evening. Our car parks will close from 6pm, and there’ll be no NYE event or fireworks as we take a well-earned night off.
In 2023, 16-year-old Harry Pitman (pictured) was stabbed to death by Areece Lloyd-Hall in the park on New Year’s Eve
Areece Lloyd-Hall, from Westminster, was found guilty of murder and having an offensive weapon and was jailed for at least 16 years in November
‘Alexandra Palace will be closed, Alexandra Palace Way will be shut from 9pm, and the W3 bus will be on diversion between 9pm-2am, so please check TfL before you travel.’
The Royal Parks declined to comment further. The Daily Mail has approached the City of London Corporation, who manage Hampstead Heath, for comment.
The decision to disband the Royal Park unit in November has led to fears that London’s lawless parks will be further ravaged by crime.
Criminal incidents reported in the parks increased by around a third from 76 in the year 2022/23 to 101 in 2023/24, according to the Royal Parks’ latest annual report.
The murder of Harry Pitman remains the most high-profile violent crime to have taken place on Primrose Hill on New Year’s Eve.
The fatal incident appeared to have been sparked by a scuffle between Harry and one of the defendant’s friends shortly after 11.30pm.
Lloyd-Hall had pushed forward and lunged at Harry with a pointed dagger, metres from where uniformed police officers were stationed.
In mobile phone footage played in court, a knife sheath was seen to fly through the air during the fast-paced incident.
Harry held his neck, his white T-shirt covered in blood, as he pushed through crowds calling to officers for ‘help’. He collapsed and died minutes later, shortly before midnight.
The knife scabbard was left at the scene and was found to have the defendant’s DNA on it.
After a media appeal, Lloyd-Hall went to Hammersmith police station with his father on January 4 2024.
At his trials, college student Lloyd-Hall, who was 16 at the time, claimed he thought he had only hit Harry with the sheath in an attempt to get Harry away from him.
Police officers conduct a fingertip search on Primrose Hill on New Year’s Day 2024
He said he ran off, not realising what had happene,d because he was holding a knife and knew there were police officers nearby.
Meanwhile, terrified cyclists have become the victims of a swathe of violent robberies, which have seen them threatened with hammers and sharp objects.
Preying on the groups, the often expensive bikes are regularly snatched by armed, balaclava-clad men on motorcycles, leaving cyclists petrified to go out in the capital.
The muggers have been operating in Regent’s Par,k where more than 30 cycling clubs meet between 5.45am and 7am each day before the area opens to cars.
Hyde Park, which is the most visited of London’s royal parks and hosts events such as Winter Wonderland and the British Summer Time concert series, has seen a rise in crime in recent years.
In June this year, a defiant woman fought off a man riding an e-bike as he tried to grab her handbag in the park near Hyde Park Corner Underground station.
The hoodie-wearing man was seen in a video on a path as he approached two women from behind, and tried to grab one of the pair’s handbags.
But the woman appeared to have heard him coming towards her. As he tried to snatch the bag, she managed to cling to her possessions, and he sped off.
In another horrifying incident in June 2021, onlookers watched as a man was chased through the famous park by a gang wielding machetes before being hacked to the ground.
Shocking footage showed a sprawling confrontation between a large group of youths and what appeared to be a single victim in a black tracksuit.
As members of the public fled, the gang pursued the victim through the park before he slipped and fell to the ground, enabling them to punch and kick him in the head.
Other serious crimes reported in the parks include mobile phone snatching, drug dealing and sexual offences.