Police cutbacks halt Warwick carnival procession

[dutchman]

A Warwickshire carnival has been cancelled after police said they were unable to support the procession.



There will be no carnival floats in Warwick town centre this year.

Warwick Lions Club was due to hold the town's carnival on Saturday 30 June, the day before the Olympic torch relay passes through the county.

Organisers said it would cost £3,000 to hire a private traffic management company - an amount they cannot afford.

A police spokesperson said they had made the "tough decision" because torch commitments had stretched resources.

Pauline Fanti, a member of the Lions, said they were worried about the event's future.

'Crime priority'

Ms Fanti said: "We're holding a fun day as opposed to a carnival, but what will happen next year?

"We're going to have to negotiate again next year.

"They said we could do it ourselves but we're not covered by insurance to be able to do that."

Ch Insp Mike Slemensek, from Warwickshire Police, said it was a busy time of the year for the force.

Mr Slemensek said: "We look at every case on its merit.

"Obviously our priority is crime and disorder.

"We have to put that first and we have to make tough decisions around providing policing with the resources that we've got.

"Through that period all leave for police officers has been cancelled because we're so busy."