Notting Hill carnival is ‘war zone’ where police feel unsafe and are treated like ‘lambs to slaughter’, Met survey finds

A new Met Police survey has revealed that officers feel unsafe at the Notting Hill Carnival, branding it a “war zone” where they are treated as “lambs to slaughter.”

The survey found that 90 per cent of officers who responded to the questionnaire said they felt unsafe working at the carnival.

Around 25 per cent were also found to have been assaulted at the annual event.

Notting Hill Carnival is held every August, with the festival celebrating Caribbean culture on the streets of west London.

However the gathering, which is attended by two million people, is infamous for being a hotspot for antisocial behaviour and violence.

The festival sees excessive drinking and drug use as well as serious violence including stabbings.

This year alone there were two murders, eight stabbings and 349 arrests. In addition, 61 police officers were assaulted.

In the survey, officers were asked to describe their work environment at the carnival.

One said: “Hell. It’s a war zone we are sent into year after year.”

Another added: “Dangerous. Officers are treated as lambs to slaughter.”

A third described the police operation as an “exercise in self-torture” and a fourth said they “would rather crawl naked through broken glass.”

This survey is part of a 24 page questionnaire aimed at improving safety at the festival for the public and police.

The Met’s deputy assistant commissioner Matt Ward said it is necessary to change how the carnival is carried out, and said the level of crime was “unacceptable”.

He said: “There is a need for a step change in the way [it] is being run if the significant crowd safety risks are to be addressed and to avoid, in a worst-case scenario, a mass casualty event caused by overcrowding.”

However, Notting Hill Carnival Ltd, the organisers of the event, said the survey was driven by “limited solid data” and was designed to create negative headlines around the festival.

They said: “It returned views at best of just 7 per cent of potential officers on duty and much of it highlights concerns they have about their general wellbeing at the event in regards to food and rest. This is a staff management issue for the Metropolitan Police.”

There have been calls for the carnival to be moved to a place that is easier to police, such as Hyde Park.