Joint training exercises plan
Cranston Inquiry · The Cranston Inquiry Report · Issued 5 February 2026 · Addressed to: HM Coastguard
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
HM Coastguard should develop and implement a plan for joint training exercises, to occur at set intervals, with participation by those involved in maritime search and rescue in the English Channel and elsewhere.
Cranston Inquiry, The Cranston Inquiry Report · 5 Feb 2026 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
Sources
How was this evidence gathered?
Response — verbatim from government
●HM Coastguard
The most recent joint exercise involving all participants simultaneously was at Dover MRCC on 7 December 2023. Representatives from French Coast Guard and SNSM (the French lifeboat service) were present, alongside UK Border Force and the RNLI. Since then, HMCG has participated in monthly meetings with the RNLI and Border Force (now Border Security Command) and 6-monthly meetings with the French Coastguard, at which tactics, techniques and procedures are discussed so that best practices can be shared. This culminates each year in the live Mass Person in Water Exercises hosted by the RNLI, where the last live play exercise occurred on 10 September 2025. The most recent Table-Top Exercise took place at the end of March 2026. Going forward there will be two table-top exercises each year. Key internal stakeholders and external partners will participate, including French authorities, RNLI, HMCG Aviation, JRCC, and Network Commanders. The next live exercise is planned to take place in October 2026.
HM Coastguard · 16 Jul 2026 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
No published activity has been recorded against this recommendation yet.
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