Notting Hill Carnival: final report of the Mayor’s Carnival Review Group

Report: 10
Date: 25 November 2004
By: Clerk

Summary

The final report of the Mayor’s Notting Hill Carnival Review Group contains a number of recommendations of relevance to the MPA and the MPS. The Authority is invited to comment on these recommendations.

A. Recommendation

That the Authority supports the findings and recommendations of the Review Group in respect of policing and safety.

B. Supporting information

Background

1. The final report of the Mayor’s Carnival Review Group, which was published in June this year, is the culmination of three and a half years investigation into the management, organisation and funding of the Notting Hill Carnival. It makes a number of recommendations with a view to achieving a long-term positive and systemic change, recognising that in the past whilst it has been second only in size to the Rio Carnival in Brazil, the infrastructure and resources supporting the Carnival have been wholly inconsistent with its scale.

2. The Review Group’s membership included Nicholas Long, a former member of the MPA, and Chief Superintendent David Commins of the Metropolitan Police Service.

3. The Review Group’s report addresses the range of issues from the cultural significance of the Carnival through to funding, economic development and the recognition of the Carnival’s major income generating capacity (£93 million in 2002).

4. However, of particular interest to the MPA and the MPS will be those recommendations concerning policing, public safety and the Carnival route. These are referred to in brief below and the report’s executive summary and its 26 recommendations are attached as an appendix.

Copies of the full report are available for members in the MPA Members’ Room. Lee Jasper, the Chair of the Review Group, will be attending the Authority meeting and will be able to answer any questions Members may have.

Policing and public safety recommendations

5. Stewarding & policing (recommendations 9 & 10).

5.1 Effective crowd management is essential and the establishment of a suitably qualified and sustainable body of stewards vital. The report foresees such a body competing for the stewarding of other large-scale events in London. The GLA should initiate discussions with Government departments to establish a long-term funding programme to develop the infrastructure necessary to:

• Recognise the contribution made by volunteer band stewards and static sound systems to crowd management
• Retain and enhance the combination of experienced community-based stewards and ‘professional’ stewards
• Continue the successful practice of allocating a police officer to each float. Explore the possible use of Police Community Support Officers and Special Constables to support Carnival policing and stewarding
• Set realistic targets for the gradual increase in the number of stewards, with the overall aim of reducing policing levels commensurately
• Support the strategic objectives of the MPS policing operation through continued development and integration of stewarding into the MPS strategic plan
• Establishment of an effective communication system to encompass all aspects of the Carnival’s communications requirements

5.2 In comparison with similar events, the Carnival remains a relatively safe event. However the overall number of reported crimes rose in 2002 and 2003. The MPS has been successful in pre-Carnival intelligence gathering and in targeting known crime hotspots within the Carnival area. The report proposes that this and other work can be strengthened and supported by the development of a multi-agency Carnival Community Safety Strategy. The evidence shows that the majority of crime at Carnival is committed as night falls and achievement of the 9 p.m. close-down must therefore be a central feature of the strategy.

6. Event management (recommendation 11). That a robust event management and planning framework is introduced and that, through contracts, Carnival participants are required to comply with staging and performance protocols. Key obligations would include adherence to arrival and close-down times, vehicle size and numbers and promotion of the Carnival Code.

7. Public safety, responsibility and accountability (Recommendations 13 - 17)

7.1 The Route: That a fundamental route change is needed to reduce crowd density and enhance the cultural spectacle. Therefore:

• Hyde Park, the Bayswater Road and the Harrow Road must be considered as part of a new (non-circular) route for Carnival 2005
• The Carnival’s Operational Planning and Safety Group should seek expert guidance during the detailed planning and implementation stages of any new route.
• As part of an overall review package there should also be an assessment of the Carnival’s entertainment area to improve safety

7.2 Accountability and responsibility: there should be greater transparency and accountability for the decisions taken by the Operational Planning and Safety Group (OPSG). For instance, its minutes should be made public and it should produce an annual Public Safety Strategy. There should be greater involvement of the Health & Safety Executive.

An MPA response

8. The MPA has considered issues in connection with the Carnival on a regular basis in the past. There have been concerns about the management of this major event with particular concerns about stewarding arrangements. When these have been inadequate the MPS has had to play a greater role than should perhaps be expected of it. The need for a linear route has also been consistently expressed by the MPA in the past.

9. Members are invited to comment at the meeting on the report’s recommendations. However it is suggested that the MPA should welcome the report and its recommendations as a sound basis for a sustainable future for a vibrant and safe Carnival.

C. Race and equality impact

No specific issues in respect of the MPA’s response to the Review Group’s report.

D. Financial implications

No specific implications in respect of the MPA’s response to the Review Group’s report.

E. Background papers

Final report of the Mayor’s Carnival Review Group

F. Contact details

Report author: Simon Vile

For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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