Police will put record numbers on streets for Notting Hill Carnival

A record number of police is to be deployed at this weekend's Notting Hill Carnival amid fears of further outbreaks of rioting.

Thousands of extra officers will be on the streets in an effort to ensure the two-day event passes off peacefully.

Scotland Yard is continuing to use reinforcements from regional forces including Wales to bolster patrols across the capital. Officers are working 12-hour shifts and the high police presence is set to be maintained until the beginning of September.

There are expected to be at least double the number of officers who policed the royal wedding - the highest number on duty in the event's 47-year history. Police say they will make a final decision on the number closer to the day.

However, thousands more officers are to be deployed around the capital at potential trouble spots amid fears violence could erupt elsewhere.
About 500 stewards - 100 more than last year - will also be on duty.

Chris Boothman, one of the carnival organisers, said he expected the extra police will be added to reserves that will be on alert at fixed locations around the carnival to respond to any trouble.

"There are normally significant numbers of police at Notting Hill on the off-chance that something might happen," he said. "They are in buildings around the carnival and the public probably don't see them." Mr Boothman, a member of the Metropolitan Police Authority, said he hoped policing at the carnival would "not be oppressive" and that "there is a balance they (the police) need to get right".

Organisers would close the carnival "in a staggered fashion" until about 7pm each day, so people would gradually leave as the event wound down.

Mr Boothman said he was "surprised" by how much support this year's carnival has received from local residents compared with previous years.
However, many homeowners in Notting Hill say they fear rioters will cause trouble and are calling for the carnival to be moved to a larger location. Some have started boarding up their flats and many are making plans to move out for the weekend.

Organisers have said this year's Carnival will close early by 7pm, but resident's say this will make little difference as many revellers stay and party in the streets. Sheila Robertson, who has lived in the area for 40 years, said: "A lot of people think Carnival should be cancelled outright. But it is too late. I think after this year we must consider moving it to some other place where the streets aren't so small."

Resident Rebecca Connell, 29, said: "I think Carnival should be cancelled. I don't see that finishing at 7pm is going to make much of a difference.

"I don't see how the police are going to keep things in order."