It's estimated that the cost of policing the Notting Hill Carnival under normal circumstances is around £6 million. Due to recent events it will be significantly more this year with a huge increase in the level of policing required to try and ensure it passes off relatively peacefully. It's generally considered be a success if only one person is murdered and that is no exaggeration. I will let you work out one of the common denominators between the recent civil unrest the biggest Caribbean street carnival in the world.
How much of the police bill is charged to the Carnival organisers is a something which you don't really hear anyone talking about - on either side, although I'll guarantee if any contribution is made - it will not exactly amount to a whole hill of beans.
How much of the police bill is charged to the Carnival organisers is a something which you don't really hear anyone talking about - on either side, although I'll guarantee if any contribution is made - it will not exactly amount to a whole hill of beans.
The truth of the matter is that Carnival could not possibly afford to pay for what they are ultimately 100% liable for which is the cost of every single police officer taken away from their normal day job in return for ensuring large numbers of people get to enjoy two days of revelry in W11 - without being killed.
By comparison - at every football ground this weekend - long standing routine procedure dictates that the clubs pay up for the cops they need to be on duty inside and immediately outside their property.
If the same principle was made to apply to Carnival (and there is no good reason why it should not) then the planning meetings would be over in a jiffy . . . . . . . .
Carnival can't pay for cops = No cops at carnival = No Carnival
Imagine . . . no Carnival - you can almost hear Diane Abbott choking on her jerk chicken and in the name of all that is multicultural it would never be allowed to happen and therefore it never does.
Anyway I sincerely hope that rather than limbo dancing for the benefit of the cameras, some of the additional police resources being deployed this Bank Holiday weekend are gainfully employed protecting some of the residents of Notting Hill, who for good reason will be living in fear of being attacked inside their own homes for a second time within the space of a month.
So on Monday evening when the festivities are over, the pigeons have taken off their parrot costumes, the sound systems have been shut down and it's getting dark - hold your breath and hope the deterrent effect of all those long prison sentences has kicked in.
No comments:
Post a Comment