Common terminology for Operation Plato zones
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, JESIP
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, the National Ambulance Resilience Unit and JESIP should ensure that all emergency services use common terminology to describe the Operation Plato hot, warm and cold zones and all have a common understanding of those terms.
Manchester Arena Inquiry, Manchester Arena Inquiry: Volume 2: Emergency Response · 3 Nov 2022 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
AI-generated evidence summary
The Inquiry asked emergency responders to establish common terminology for Operation Plato zones. In February 2026, the Cabinet Office reported that emergency services had approved Version 3 of the Joint Operating Principles (JOPs) covering areas including communication and scene assessment, which are reviewed annually, though hot, warm, and cold zones are not mentioned in the sources (Cabinet Office, Feb 2026). In November 2025, the UK Government recorded that the recommendation was accepted in full, while the department published the same update regarding the operating principles that month (Cabinet Office response, Nov 2025; Cabinet Office, 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
Following the publication of the report the Joint Operating Principles known as 'JOPs' Version 3 has been produced and signed off by the tri-services. This document contains additional principles, which can be applied when responding to a Marauding Terrorist Attack. These Joint Operating Principles (JOPs) have been developed from the operational experience of the three services, as well as learning taken from attacks, exercises and wider national learning. The JOP's covers the following areas:- IDENTIFICATION, MOBILISATION, COMMUNICATION, SCENE ASSESSMENT, SHARED SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND JOINT UNDERSTANDING OF RISK, CASUALTY MANAGEMENT, FIRE AND HAZARDS MANAGEMENT, DE-BRIEFING AND LESSONS IDENTIFIED This was a large piece of work which captured a number of recommendations from the Manchester Arena Inquiry. The JOPS is reviewed on an annual basis to determine its value, additional learning and to ensure it is still relevant.
Earlier statements on delivery (0)
●Cabinet Office · 14 Nov 2025
Following the publication of the report the Joint Operating Principles known as 'JOPs' Version 3 has been produced and signed off by the tri-services. This document contains additional principles, which can be applied when responding to a Marauding Terrorist Attack. These Joint Operating Principles (JOPs) have been developed from the operational experience of the three services, as well as learning taken from attacks, exercises and wider national learning. The JOP's covers the following areas:- IDENTIFICATION, MOBILISATION, COMMUNICATION, SCENE ASSESSMENT, SHARED SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND JOINT UNDERSTANDING OF RISK, CASUALTY MANAGEMENT, FIRE AND HAZARDS MANAGEMENT, DE-BRIEFING AND LESSONS IDENTIFIED This was a large piece of work which captured a number of recommendations from the Manchester Arena Inquiry. The JOPS is reviewed on an annual basis to determine its value, additional learning and to ensure it is still relevant.
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.