Carnival cops 'let criminals run wild'.SENIOR police officers turned a blind eye to drug-taking and thefts after losing control of the Notting Hill carnival Notting Hill Carnival is an annual event which takes place in Notting Hill, London, England each August, over two days (Sunday and the following bank holiday). It has continuously taken place on the streets of Notting Hill since 1965[1]. , it was claimed last night. The accusations, from a long-serving officer who was at this year's event in West London West London is the area of Greater London to the west of Central London. Although it is only ambiguously defined, it is one of the most economically active areas of London outside of the centre, containing significant amounts of office space along with Heathrow Airport and many of , added to the pressure for a major review of the way the carnival is policed. Two people were murdered during this year's party. The officer who made the allegations chose to remain anonymous. He told BBC BBC in full British Broadcasting Corp. Publicly financed broadcasting system in Britain. A private company at its founding in 1922, it was replaced by a public corporation under royal charter in 1927. Radio 4's Today programme that police had been told to ignore some offences. He claimed: "You're discouraged to be involved with crimes which are not necessarily violent." Such offences included the taking of drugs and thefts without violence, he said. The officer said that police at the carnival He added: "We are giving a false impression to the public. "We are saying that it's safe to come to the carnival, but that is certainly not the case." Shadow home secretary Ann Widdecombe Ann Noreen Widdecombe (born 4 October 1947) is a British Conservative Party politician. She is the Member of Parliament for Maidstone and The Weald and a Privy Counsellor. She is a prominent member of the Conservative Christian Fellowship and an outspoken supporter of traditional said policing of the carnival had to be re-examined. She said: "There is a big difference between not being heavy-handed and ordering officers to ignore crimes. "Two people died and we can't ignore that." But Metropolitan Police assistant commissioner Ian Johnston
Ian Johnston (Walter Ian Harewood Johnston, February 16, 1930 – March 19, 2001) was one of the true pioneers of reproductive medicine in Australia. hit back at the criticism of his force. He insisted: "An 84 per cent increase in arrests doesn't look like a policy of non-intervention to me." |
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