Strategic Co-ordinating Group within two hours
Manchester Arena Inquiry · Manchester Arena Inquiry: Volume 2: Emergency Response · Issued 3 November 2022 · Addressed to: Home Office
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
The Home Office should consider the introduction of a national standard requiring a meeting of the Strategic Co-ordinating Group to take place no more than two hours after the declaration of a Major Incident where more than one emergency service is engaged in the response to that incident.
Manchester Arena Inquiry, Manchester Arena Inquiry: Volume 2: Emergency Response · 3 Nov 2022 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- The College of Policing stated that the review of Civil Contingencies APP is complete and updated guidance was launched to forces in April 2024 (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
- This work strand was submitted for closure via NPCC governance in December 2024 (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
Response — verbatim from government
●UK Government
The Home Secretary made a written statement to Parliament on 3 November 2022 following publication of Volume 2, acknowledging the findings on emergency response failures and stating the government would work with emergency services to implement improvements. The response committed to reviewing interoperability arrangements between emergency services and strengthening joint training and exercising protocols for major incidents.
UK Government · 3 Nov 2022 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 27 Feb 2026 Revised Civil contingencies Guidance - The requirement for revising this approved professional practice (APP) was agreed upon in 2022. This review is now complete, and the updated guidance was launched to forces in April 2024. As the new Command and Control approved professional practice (APP) (recommendation 58) continues to be developed, this may result in further updates to the Civil Contingencies guidance to ensure both are aligned. This work strand is now complete and will be submitted for closure via NPCC governance in December 2024. Source →
- 14 Nov 2025 Revised Civil contingencies Guidance - The requirement for revising this approved professional practice (APP) was agreed upon in 2022. This review is now complete, and the updated guidance was launched to forces in April 2024. As the new Command and Control approved professional practice (APP) (recommendation 58) continues to be developed, this may result in further updates to the Civil Contingencies guidance to ensure both are aligned. This work strand is now complete and will be submitted for closure via NPCC governance in December 2024. Source →
- 14 Nov 2025 · Cabinet Office Government published formal Manchester Arena Inquiry recommendations dashboard on GOV.UK (14 November 2025) tracking all 149 recommendations with implementation progress updates. View source → Reasonable Progress
- 3 Apr 2025 · UK Parliament Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 received Royal Assent 3 April 2025. Creates two tiers: Standard Duty (200-799 capacity) and Enhanced Duty (800+). SIA will be regulator. Not yet in force -- at least 24 months before enforcement (expected April 2027). View source → Reasonable Progress
- 1 Apr 2024 · JESIP 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. View source → Good Progress
- 5 Jun 2023 · National Police Chiefs Council NPCC, Counter Terrorism Policing and College of Policing provided comprehensive updates to Sir John Saunders demonstrating "continued drive to improve collective response to terrorist incidents." View source → Reasonable Progress
Each entry above links to a primary source — gov.uk written statement, consultation response document, or inspection report. The Index does not characterise government intent; it tracks what has been published.
How this page is built
Source and Response are verbatim from primary documents. The Evidence trail records published activity since — written statements, consultation outcomes, inspection findings, parliamentary references. The Index does not paraphrase or characterise intent; it tracks what has been published. Where the evidence is the absence of action (a missed deadline, a slipped timetable), that absence is documented from primary sources rather than inferred.
This recommendation's data is verified periodically against primary sources. The Index is monitored for staleness weekly.