Royal protection officers protest over Notting Hill Carnival

Telegraph

a day ago

Members of Scotland Yard's elite royal protection unit are being drafted in to help police this year's Notting Hill Carnival amid mounting concern over the safety of the event, The Telegraph can reveal.
Hundreds of personal protection officers – whose day to day roles involve looking after members of the Royal family, senior politicians and other VIPs – have been ordered to turn out and help man the barricades at next month's event.
They will join around 7,000 other Metropolitan Police officers tasked with keeping an estimated two million revellers safe throughout the three day street party.
Any officers with specific public order policing qualifications will be deployed to units primed to respond quickly to outbreaks of trouble or violence.
But the vast majority – who only have basic public order training – will effectively be employed as stewards attempting to marshal the huge crowds.
Crowd density concerns
The decision to draft in specialist units to assist with the carnival comes amid growing concern at Scotland Yard that there could be a crush at the event because of the high density of attendees.
In a report published in April this year, Asst Commissioner Matt Twist, from the Met Police, said: 'While we acknowledge the crime often gets the headlines, the thing that worries me most is the crowd density and the potential for a mass casualty event.'
Met bosses are therefore determined to have as many resources available as they can muster.
The decision to draft in personnel from royal protection and other specialist units also comes after Scotland Yard was criticised for relying too heavily on neighbourhood officers to fulfil public order commitments.
Extracting officers from community policing makes it harder to tackle street crime and reduces trust and confidence in the Met.
The recent pro-Palestinian marches and other large scale demonstrations have put a huge strain on the force, with a recent figures revealing that between Oct 7 2023 and June 2024 almost 52,000 officer shifts were dedicated to policing protests.
Sir Mark Rowley, the Met Commissioner, has pledged to spread the public order load more fairly and ensure it is not just the neighbourhood teams that bear the brunt.
But the order has gone down badly with many of those in the Royal and Specialist Protection (RaSP) command and is not without its practical problems
Most RaSP officers work in plain clothes roles and have not worn uniform for years.
Some of those ordered onto the front line have discovered that their original kit is out of date or no longer fits and so have been forced to order new ones in time for the carnival.
They also had to urgently complete a Body Worn Video (BWV) training course as it is not standard equipment in RaSP, but is compulsory when doing public order jobs.
Sources within the unit have said the orders have gone down very badly with officers, most of whom have not done public order work for years.
'No choice in the matter'
One source said: 'They are highly trained, highly experienced specialists, and so are not happy about being told they have to do basic public order policing.
'They will essentially be working as glorified stewards but they don't have any choice in the matter. It's an order from the top but it could hardly be less welcome.
'Notting Hill is the least popular job of the year. It's not an exaggeration to say that the vast majority of officers hate working at Notting Hill, even those who do regular public order work.
'The shifts are very long, the conditions are really stressful and it is a pretty thankless role. The crowds seem to get bigger every year and it is extremely difficult to move around. Even when something happens it can be almost impossible for officers to get to the scene quickly.
'Huge drain' on Met resources
Susan Hall, the vice chairman of the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee, also expressed concern about this year's event.
She said: 'There is little wonder the police hate having to work at Notting Hill Carnival. It is a huge drain on the Met's resources each year and senior officers share my concerns that it is becoming far too dangerous.
'The organisers have failed to ensure there is sufficient stewarding and it is becoming almost impossible to manage the crowds. Do we have to wait until there is a mass casualty tragedy before the organisers listen to our concerns?
'Also the pro-Palestinian protests have been an enormous drain on Met resources. Virtually every weekend sees a massive public order policing event and so Notting Hill Carnival is frankly the last thing the force needs.
'Now we hear they are even having to draft in officers from royal protection to plug the gaps. It is surely time to end this madness and let the police get back to policing rather than working as glorified security guards at an unnecessary event.'