Action cards for emergency services in Major Incidents
Manchester Arena Inquiry · Manchester Arena Inquiry: Volume 2: Emergency Response · Issued 3 November 2022 · Addressed to: College of Policing, Fire Service College, National Ambulance Resilience Unit, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, Home Office
Government responseUK Government: Accepted (Nov 2025)
DeliveryCabinet Office says in progress (Feb 2026)
Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
The Home Office, His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services, the College of Policing, the Fire Service College and the National Ambulance Resilience Unit should oversee the development and implementation of action cards for the police, fire and rescue service, and ambulance service for use in a Major Incident.
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 developing and implementing emergency service action cards for major incidents. In February 2026, the Cabinet Office reported that action cards for a Marauding Terrorist Attack (MTA) response had been given to all forces and services under a review of Joint Operating Principles (JOPS) (Cabinet Office, Feb 2026). It stated that these cards are held in control rooms nationwide as checklists, while testing and assurance remain ongoing under the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles (JESIP) Programme (Cabinet Office, Feb 2026). Action cards for other major incidents were not mentioned (Cabinet Office, Feb 2026). The UK Government 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, 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 in progress · 27 Feb 2026
As part of the review of the Marauding Terrorist Attack (MTA) Joint Operating Principles (JOPS) action cards were given to all forces and services for the implementation of an MTA response. These cards are contained within control rooms around the country and serve as a checklist for actions in a high stress, high dynamic incident such as an MTA. Testing of these plans continue as part of the JESIP Programme with assurance a key part of ensuring these continue to be fit for purpose.
Earlier statements on delivery (0)
●Cabinet Office · 14 Nov 2025
As part of the review of the Marauding Terrorist Attack (MTA) Joint Operating Principles (JOPS) action cards were given to all forces and services for the implementation of an MTA response. These cards are contained within control rooms around the country and serve as a checklist for actions in a high stress, high dynamic incident such as an MTA. Testing of these plans continue as part of the JESIP Programme with assurance a key part of ensuring these continue to be fit for purpose.
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.