Mayor asked to review safety and crowd density at Carnival

MAYOR of London Sadiq Khan has been asked to review attendance numbers for Notting Hill Carnival amid fears of a 'mass casualty event'.

- By JOE COUGHLAN

The request comes following concerns raised by the Metropolitan Police about the possibility of individuals being crushed at the event due to inadequate stewarding from the organiser.

The London Assembly Police and Crime Committee published a report on Tuesday, April 22, which asks the Mayor to commission a review of crowd density and safety at the annual event following two deaths that occurred at it last year.

The report covers various aspects of public order policing in London, including football events and protests related to the conflict in Gaza.

The committee found that increased public order demand was straining the Met and requiring greater government funding.

The report also stated that neighbourhood officers were being redistributed on short notice to events in Central London and that officers who had undertaken specialist public order training were stepping back from such work due to the impact on family life.

About 7,000 Met Police officers were on duty during the 2024 Notting Hill Carnival event, with a total of around 14,000 officer shifts across the whole event. The event, which celebrates Caribbean culture and history within the city, attracts around two million visitors each year.