Enhancing Public Safety at Notting Hill Carnival and Beyond

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) is a unique London borough, home to places of cultural importance and 15,000 businesses. Every year the borough welcomes over 1 million people for the world-famous Notting Hill Carnival.

With responsibility for managing community safety for residents and visitors to the borough, including the 1 million visitors during carnival time. RBKC consulted with North to extensively upgrade and integrate their entire Public Space security operations with third-party systems.

The IP upgrade encompassed all Public Space cameras, Video Management Systems (VMS) and associated security systems, including the overhaul of the council's CCTV Control Centre and the installation of new transmission equipment.

North collaborated closely with RBKC to design and deliver the fully integrated solution that enables seamless connectivity with key partners, including the Metropolitan Police.

The upgrade has enabled the Metropolitan Police and partners to access cameras across the borough through a web portal, offering 24/7 centralised access to footage, enabling them to manage antisocial behaviour and public safety events more effectively. Furthermore, the Metropolitan Police can remotely control cameras and view playback footage, enabling them to respond to incidents quicker, creating safer places for visitors, and local communities and enabling more effective use of budgets.

With future-proofing and value both important considerations, events are now analysed and incidents quickly addressed through simultaneous streaming of footage across multiple locations, such as football stadiums and shopping areas, helping to deter and detect crime, and create safer experiences for fans and shoppers.

Sam Dickinson, CCTV Lead for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea commented:

“With the responsibility of supporting RBKC to manage community safety during the Notting Hill Carnival, North played a pivotal role in making significant upgrades to our CCTV Control Centre and has helped to create safer places and communities for future generations. These enhancements have significantly improved our ability to monitor and respond to incidents, detect and prevent crime and antisocial behaviour, and will help to make the borough a safer and smarter place for all.

North provided pivotal guidance and seamless integration for our new VMS, allowing the council to develop new strategies and allow for better monitoring operationally, making the borough a safer place for residents and visitors.”

Tony Oliver, Head of Physical Security at North said:

“North is proud to support the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea's commitment to make communities safer and to prevent and detect crime and disorder. Managing public safety, starting with the Notting Hill Carnival, was the driving force behind the upgrade and integration of future-proofed camera technology and the advancement of RBKC’s CCTV Control Centre. With intelligent CCTV and public safety systems managed from a single, integrated, control room, we are helping the council to work smarter and safer to ensure their citizens and communities can thrive”.