Notting Hill Carnival cops face dance BAN as 12,000-strong force set for hottest ever street party
POLICE officers working at the Notting Hill Carnival this weekend have been put on a dance ban at the hottest year the street party has ever recorded. Over 12,000 cops will be at the scene of the north London event throughout the August Bank Holiday weekend. Officers enjoying the party atmosphere has been a regular […]
POLICE officers working at the Notting Hill Carnival this weekend have been put on a dance ban at the hottest year the street party has ever recorded.
Over 12,000 cops will be at the scene of the north London event throughout the August Bank Holiday weekend.
Officers enjoying the party atmosphere has been a regular fixture at the carnival in recent years.
One cop was even filmed dancing with two twerking women while he was on the job in 2016.
SAFETY FIRST
But this year, in the record-breaking 33C heat, Superintendent Elisabeth Chapple has ordered police to keep festival goers safe and “remember what they are there for”, the Telegraph reports.
She said: “Our officers are there to keep people safe.
“If they are dancing and getting involved then they are less able to keep an eye on what’s going on.”
This year, over a million people are expected to attend the carnival and there will be an increased number of screening arches to check for knives at the event.
Matthew Phillip, the executive director of the carnival, said he wasn’t worried about cops joining in with the music and dancing.
He said: “Carnival is a cultural event — it’s not a demonstration or something that needs to be policed in a forceful, strict manner.
“I think it’s good that the police engage with the public rather than just standing there.”
RICH TRADITION
Since the carnival began in 1966, cops have often been seen enjoying themselves at the event while maintaining law and order.
There are 12,427 officers being sent to north London to work a number of shifts over the course of the weekend.
And around 900 support stewards will be attending on Sunday, with another 200 coming in for the usually busier Monday.
Supt Chapple added: “Our people are the most important thing to us.
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“Last year at carnival sadly 45 police officers were injured and we’ll be taking every step to make sure that doesn’t happen this year.”
Again this year, a 72-second silence on both days in memory of those killed in the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017.
The parade route of the carnival is within half a mile of the tower block.
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