Pan Trinbago blames NCC for North Stand chaos

Pan Trinbago yesterday blamed lax security and ticket scalpers for the overcrowding at Sunday’s Panorama semi-finals, which caused scores of patrons with legitimate tickets for the North Stand  to be denied entry. “If you have an event at the stand and part of the event is not properly secured, then there must be problems later on. That is what happened,” said Keith Diaz, chairman of Pan Trinbago’s northern region during a media briefing at Pan Trinbago’s headquarters at Victoria Suites. Ticket sales for the North Stand were halted and the gate closed at 4.30 pm because of the crowd. However, when those with tickets began getting rowdy, the gate was subsequently opened.

The National Carnival Commission (NCC) has given the Road Runners Club (a long distance race club) responsibility for manning the gates and handling the tickets. Diaz said discussions were held with the club about the exits for Pan Trinbago shows, but “problems” became evident when he went to the Savannah at 6.30 am on Sunday. He saw that no gate was installed at the vendors’ entrance and an NCC official said there was no entrance for people to enter the North Stand. The off stage area was not fenced. Diaz said, “At 8.30 am these things were not in place and by 9 am people were just walking in with their coolers and different things. Pan Trinbago was not responsible for that.”

He said Pan Trinbago’s workers were responsible for the barriers off stage and dealing with the bands on stage, in the holding bay and on the track. Diaz said he told the NCC about the security concerns, since the show was scheduled to start at 11 am. At 10 am, efforts were being made to secure the entrance to the North Stand. “They had serious problems. Vendors who had specific times to come in were bringing people in and out there. At the time I did not know where the people the NCC employed were.” Diaz said pan members were enlisted to help. “That was not our function.” Pan Trinbago president Patrick Arnold said recommendations for the venue are made via Pan Trinbago’s representatives on the operations and infrastructure committees of the NCC.

He said 6,000 tickets were printed, but the North Stand could accommodate 10,000 people standing. Arnold assured that tickets were not oversold.  He heard that “pieces of tickets” were being sold outside the venue. Arnold said other schemes involving tickets could have been used. He said this had been a problem for many years. He said the Panorama had outgrown the Savannah and even if Pan Trinbago wanted to sell more tickets, it could not. Arnold said more people enjoyed the show for free than paid. “There are so many ways to get into the Savannah, it is not set up for shows. Maybe it was good in the time of horseracing, but it is not for shows.”