The fine art of crowd control

Last week, Viet Nam News asked its readers about their comments on disasters related to crowds such as stampedes. What is important in ensuring crowd control. Here are some of the responses.

John McDonald, Australian, Ha Noi 

Next Week       This year, the thousandth anniversary of the founding of Thang Long, the forerunner to Ha Noi, has led to many sites and rituals being recognised as world heritage by the UNESCO in Viet Nam. The latest example of cultural heritage being recognised is the Saint Giong Festival at Phu Dong and Soc temples. Thang Long Royal Citadel in Ha Noi, the home of the former royal palace, was also recognised as a World Heritage site in October. These acknowledgements have a huge meaning for tourism in Viet Nam, but this brings more responsibility in preserving and maintaining that heritage. – When you travel, do you often check out recognised historical sites? If so, do they often satisfy your expectations? – Have you ever been to any heritage sites or involved in the intangible cultural heritage in Viet Nam? How well is the preservation of these places being carried out? Do you think too much emphasis is being placed on commercialising this heritage instead of just enjoying it as has been done for thousands of years? What else should be done to further maintain these sites/rituals/events?                       We welcome your opinions. Emails should be sent to:       opinion.vietnamnews@gmail.com – or faxed to 84-439332311. Letters can be sent to: The Editor, Viet Nam News, 11 Tran Hung Dao, Ha Noi. Replies to this week's question must be received by Thursday, December 9.

Killer stampedes occur from time to time throughout the world, but they are statistically so rare that it is difficult to create special legislation to avoid them.

Actually, there are often laws in place covering crowd control, police responses and emergency medical treatment on a large scale. These measures, if enforced, would do much to lower the death toll in such situations.

But controlling absolute panic is almost impossible. A few strategically placed policemen can help avert catastrophe, but then again, who knows when or where an incident is likely to happen?

The best that officials, police, firemen and medical officers can do is to make sure that sites where large crowds are expected to gather are assessed beforehand by safety experts for any potential danger spots.

And this means ensuring that all structures for holding or channelling people at public events are sturdy and can take heavy loads... and that building safety codes are strictly enforced.

There should also be emergency procedures in place at major public events governing crowd control, ambulances and emergency treatment at hospitals. Each major event should appoint an emergency safety officer, medical staff and a police officer to take charge of or control any emerging catastrophe.

But ideally, there should be safety procedures in place wherever large crowds of people gather – and the properly trained people to make sure they are carried out.

Gaga Lover, Vietnamese, Ha Noi 

Urban dwellers increasingly love going out on the streets, even at night when no particular event is being held. My American professor, during his brief stay in Ha Noi, was surprised to observe a never-ending flow of vehicles when he tried to cross a zebra crossing near Hoan Kiem Lake one night. He wondered what they were doing.

It was just their habit, I answered. The mass of humanity becomes even larger during holidays and celebrations. In October, during the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long-Ha Noi, many famous spots where events occurred, such as Hoan Kiem Lake and My Dinh National Stadium, were packed shoulder to shoulder.

I am sure chaos would have occurred if there was a small trigger. And it occurs to me that Viet Nam may not be ready to handle huge catastrophes.

Most citizens, including myself, have no idea how to react if a crowd began trampling and crushing people. They can't imagine the tragedy coming. For quite a long time, I have given up the habit of going out on days when the crowds are too dense.

I don't see any point in joining them, because it's not fun. The purpose of going out is to enjoy the spirit of an event, but how can we find joy in long queues of traffic and the bumping, jostling and feeling of suffocation?

Andy Savage, New Zealander, Hong Kong 

I haven't found myself stuck in a stampede, but Hong Kong crowds can get quite intense. In fact, they've had this problem in Hong Kong, but now they have a lot of police to ensure that nothing gets out of control.

In the early hours of New Year's eve in 1993, narrow streets, poor police planning and bad weather led to the Lan Kwai Fong disaster. Thousands of party-goers stampeded and 21 died. Now, the police presence is very strong but sometimes you feel claustrophobic in crowds, especially in rush hour.

In Hong Kong, I avoid going to crowded events not because I am worried or scared, but because Hong Kong is crowded 24 hours a day. There's eight million people on one tiny island, and I have had enough of crowds.

I probably wouldn't go out on New Year's Eve. Police block off many streets and they channel you, so if you want to walk in the opposite direction, they stop you. You have to walk an hour to get to a club, restaurant or bar just behind you, it's very annoying.

Crowd tragedies are unheard of in New Zealand because it's too spacious and there are tight crowd controls. Even university events must legally be covered by a crowd control plan. This prevents too many people being in the one place at the one time.

I guess that in Cambodia there isn't a well trained police force. In New Zealand, for example, so many people would never have been allowed on the bridge at once. The same in most other developed countries.

Three things are needed for effective crowd control: enough police (or army), good training on how to handle situations, and an emergency plan that also restricts the number of people in any one place.

Ryu Hashimoto, Japanese, HCM City 

I have been caught in small stampedes in my country. As you may know, there are many festivals and fireworks displays in Japan during the year and sometimes this kind of tragedy happens.

When I go to the festivals or fireworks displays, I always check my escape route in case a stampede occurs. If once does, I always try to go with the crowd as much as possible to prevent being pushed down.

In Japan, the police department usually advise if there are likely to be any problems at large gatherings. I always take notice of this type of information before attending an event.

Japanese police departments have a section for crowd control. They are well trained and act without using any weapons. Maybe Viet Nam could do the same. — VNS