Firearms officer training on Operation Plato
Manchester Arena Inquiry · Manchester Arena Inquiry: Volume 2: Emergency Response · Issued 3 November 2022 · Addressed to: College of Policing, Counter Terrorism Policing
Government responseUK Government: Accepted (Nov 2025)
DeliveryCabinet Office says completed (Feb 2026)
Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters and the College of Policing should ensure that all firearms officers, including firearms commanders, receive adequate training in Operation Plato, including in what such a declaration means and the demands it will place upon them. This should include instruction in the importance of zoning, communicating zoning decisions to other emergency services and joint working with those other services in the course of the response to an Operation Plato situation.
Manchester Arena Inquiry, Manchester Arena Inquiry: Volume 2: Emergency Response · 3 Nov 2022 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
AI-generated evidence summary
In a February 2026 update published on the Cabinet Office dashboard, the addressees recorded the recommendation as completed (Cabinet Office, Feb 2026). The update stated that revised and refreshed training for strategic firearms command, cadre tactical firearms commanders, and operational firearms commanders had been implemented nationally, and that the work strand was closed via NPCC governance in May 2024 (Cabinet Office, Feb 2026). The UK government had previously accepted the recommendation in full in November 2025 (Cabinet Office response, Nov 2025).
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026.
About this summary
Government response
●UK Government · Accepted · 14 Nov 2025
Accepted in full
Response document: Manchester Arena Inquiry recommendations (GOV.UK page linking to the Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard)
Delivery
●Cabinet Office says completed · 27 Feb 2026
New Training for Firearms Officers and Commanders - Revised and refreshed training for both strategic firearms command (SFC), cadre tactical firearms commanders (Cadre TFC) and operational firearms commanders (OFCs) has now been implemented nationally. This work strand has been closed via NPCC Governance May 2024.
Earlier statements on delivery (0)
●Cabinet Office · 14 Nov 2025
New Training for Firearms Officers and Commanders - Revised and refreshed training for both strategic firearms command (SFC), cadre tactical firearms commanders (Cadre TFC) and operational firearms commanders (OFCs) has now been implemented nationally. This work strand has been closed via NPCC Governance May 2024.
From: Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, original version (data file)
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The recommendation and the government responses are verbatim from primary documents. Delivery statements and other bodies' findings are shown in their own words, each with its source. The summary is written by this site and labelled as such. The Index does not paraphrase sources or characterise intent; it records what has been published.