Include GMFRS capabilities in GMP Major Incident Plan
Manchester Arena Inquiry · Manchester Arena Inquiry: Volume 2: Emergency Response · Issued 3 November 2022 · Addressed to: Greater Manchester Police, Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service
Government responseUK Government: Accepted (Nov 2025)
DeliveryCabinet Office says completed (Feb 2026)
Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
Greater Manchester Police's Major Incident Plan should be reviewed to ensure that it includes clear guidance on the capabilities of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, including its Specialist Response Team, as well as on the importance of joint working.
Manchester Arena Inquiry, Manchester Arena Inquiry: Volume 2: Emergency Response · 3 Nov 2022 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
AI-generated evidence summary
The Inquiry recommended that Greater Manchester Police's major incident plan include fire service capabilities. Relaying progress in February 2026, the Cabinet Office stated that the plan includes a section written by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service on its capabilities and specialist assets, including the Specialist Response Team (Cabinet Office, Feb 2026). It added that this text, containing guidance for commanders and responders, was reviewed by the fire service and the Greater Manchester Blue Light Working Group ahead of publishing the next plan (Cabinet Office, Feb 2026). Guidance on the importance of joint working is not mentioned in the update (Cabinet Office, Feb 2026).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 5 Oct 2026.
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
GMP's Major Incident Plan has a section on the capabilities of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, and this includes details of its specialist assets such as the Specialist Response Team. This section was written by GMFRS and has been reviewed by them and the Greater Manchester Blue Light Working Group in advance of the publication of the next version of the Major Incident Plan. This section contains relevant details for both Commanders and Responders
Earlier statements on delivery (0)
●Cabinet Office · 14 Nov 2025
GMP's Major Incident Plan has a section on the capabilities of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, and this includes details of its specialist assets such as the Specialist Response Team. This section was written by GMFRS and has been reviewed by them and the Greater Manchester Blue Light Working Group in advance of the publication of the next version of the Major Incident Plan. This section contains relevant details for both Commanders and Responders
From: Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, original version (data file)
Published evidence
●JESIP · 1 Apr 2024
JESIP Joint Doctrine updated to v3.1 (April 2024) following inquiry findings on interoperability failures. Operation Plato reformed to cover all terrorist attack types, not just firearms. Emphasis extended beyond command-level to frontline responders.
JESIP Joint Doctrine Version 3.1, April 2024View source →
How this page is built
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.