Notting Hill Carnival not the cause of knife crime, event CEO says

Independent

3 days ago

Notting Hill Carnival is not the cause of knife crime, the event's chief executive said today.
Matthew Phillip also announced greater safety measures ahead of this year's festival, which will run from August 23 to 25.
Speaking to the crowd at the carnival 's launch party on Thursday , he said that money raised from the local council and the mayor of London would be put towards security measures at the event, which takes place over the August bank holiday weekend.
The carnival has also partnered with actor Idris Elba's Hope Foundation and its campaign Don't Stop Your Future (DSYF) to combat knife and violent crime in London communities.
Mr Phillip urged people not to scapegoat the carnival, which has faced criticism in recent years for not tackling violent crime, including the murders of two people last year – Cher Maximen, who was killed in front of her three-year-old daughter, and chef Mussie Imnetu.
Takayo Nembhard, 21, was stabbed in 2022.
Mr Phillip said: 'Knife crime is not a carnival issue. Youth violence is not a carnival issue.
'These are serious national issues, and while some statistics have improved, the roots remain poverty, isolation, racial inequality, disconnection and the absence of hope, especially for young people.
'Carnival does not cause these problems. It doesn't create violence. In fact, for many, it offers relief from it.'
Concerns over safety at the carnival have also contributed to insecurity about its future, and the festival's organisers wrote to the Government earlier this year to ask for urgent funding.
Carnival chairman Ian Comfort requested more funding from the Government to steward the event and address safety concerns, amid ongoing warnings from police that there could be a tragedy.
Eventually City Hall, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea council and Westminster city council provided money, allowing this year's event to take place.
Mr Phillip said: 'What began as a small gathering of courage on the streets of Notting Hill has grown into one of the largest cultural events in the world.
'That growth brings joy, but it also brings a huge responsibility. Each year, over a million people walk through these streets.
'We are strengthening every element of our operational infrastructure: more trained stewards, expanded CCTV coverage and parade co-ordination, faster response systems for stewards and safety teams, and expanded crowd management infrastructure and personnel, to give an example of a few of the initiatives we're embarking on.
'These are not tick boxes. They're a real commitment to care, to precision and to the protection of the community.'
The carnival features parades, steelpan costumes, bands, sound systems and stages.
People will be invited to join a 72-second silence at 3pm on Sunday and Monday to honour people who died in the Grenfell Tower fire and Kelso Cochrane, who was murdered in a racially motivated attack in Notting Hill in 1959.