Unarmed officer training on Operation Plato
Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters and the College of Policing should ensure that all unarmed frontline police officers receive training in what Operation Plato is and what will be expected of them following such a declaration. The training should include the importance of zoning, the identification of who can ordinarily work in different zones and the importance of joint working.
- The dashboard states that new e-learning training modules have been created to prepare all frontline police officers and supervisors for responding to threat-related incidents including Marauding Terrorist Attacks, and these are now live (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
- This work strand was completed and submitted for closure via NPCC governance in December 2024 (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
- The College of Policing published the new training modules as part of the national curriculum (Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, Cabinet Office, February 2026).
How was this evidence gathered?
Response
Accepted
Response
AcceptedThe 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.
Progress Timeline
NPCC Update: New Training for Unarmed Officers - The new e-learning training modules created to prepare all frontline police officers and supervisors for responding to a range of threat related incidents including Marauding Terrorist Attacks (MTA) are now live. This work strand is now complete and will be submitted for closure via NPCC governance in December 2024.
NPCC Update: New Training for Unarmed Officers - The new e-learning training modules created to prepare all frontline police officers and supervisors for responding to a range of threat related incidents including Marauding Terrorist Attacks (MTA) are now live. This work strand is now complete and will be submitted for closure via NPCC governance in December 2024.
Published Evidence
Published assessments of progress from inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Source type badge indicates whether each assessment is independent or government self-reported.
Government published formal Manchester Arena Inquiry recommendations dashboard on GOV.UK (14 November 2025) tracking all 149 recommendations with implementation progress updates.
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).
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 detailed findings
Representatives working with UK Intelligence Community to address closed Volume Three recommendations. Cross-government monitoring ongoing.