‘Ring of steel’ to protect revellers
LONDON Crowds at this weekend’s Notting Hill carnival in London will be protected from car and truck terrorist attacks by steel fences and concrete barriers amid an unprecedented range of threats.
Officers have been kitted out to treat acid attack victims, and 656 gang members or drug suspects had been arrested across the city in a bid to disrupt any planned knife and gun violence, a force commander said.
Police are on heightened alert after a man armed with a knife was detained outside Buckingham Palace yesterday and two police officers suffered minor arm injuries while arresting him. Police said it was too early to say whether the incident was terrorism-related.
The two million-strong crowds expected to attend Europe’s biggest street festival have also been asked to have some ‘‘humanity’’ and refrain from taking selfies in front of the burntout remains of Grenfell Tower.
After allegations of racism and criticism of the police for making contentious links between the carnival and the large number of drug arrests, Dave Musker, the Metropolitan Police’s gold commander for the bank holiday weekend, said: ‘‘I don’t really care what we arrest them for, I’ll be [as] lawfully audacious as I can to get them off the streets.’’
He added: ‘‘What do the public expect of us? Last year we had 70 to 80 stabbings, four of them people who nearly lost their lives.’’
Musker said his approach to policing the event was to enable the public to safely enjoy the weekend in a law-abiding fashion. ‘‘I’m not a member of the fun police, and I’m not a fun sponge,’’ he said. GETTY IMAGES
Officers will form a ‘‘protective ring’’ around the Grenfell Tower area and fencing will be put up to protect floral tributes and artwork honouring the 80 or more people killed in the blaze in June. There will be pauses in the celebrations to pay tribute to the dead.
Chief Superintendent Robyn Williams, who has played a key role in the police response to the Grenfell fire and preparations for the Notting Hill carnival, said: ‘‘With the tragedy of Grenfell Tower still so raw for the community of west London, we have put in place a specific policing operation around that area.
‘‘We don’t want people posing for selfies in and around Grenfell. We don’t have the power to stop people taking photos, but we will be appealing to people to have some discretion and humanity.’’
The officers said there was no specific intelligence of planned terrorist attacks or disruptive protests, but police have warned local businesses that in light of recent public disturbances, outside groups may be planning to cause trouble.
The Met will also deploy controversial facial recognition technology. While the use of cameras loaded with images of wanted criminals led to no arrests last year, Musker would not be drawn on whether any suspects had been identified.
People planning to attend the carnival have also been warned not to wear expensive jewellery or carry too much cash or credit cards. The Times, AP