Recommendation MAI-30: Nationally accredited Force Duty Officer training
From Manchester Arena Inquiry: Volume 2: Emergency Response, published 3 November 2022.
Recommendation
Given the broad command responsibilities that the Force Duty Officer or Force Incident Manager will have in the early stages of the response to a Major Incident, the Home Office and the College of Policing should develop nationally accredited training to prepare those officers for that role.
In brief (written by this site)
The Inquiry recommended nationally accredited training for Force Duty Officers and Force Incident Managers. In February 2026, the Cabinet Office reported that the Force Incident Manager curriculum, accreditation processes, and guidance had been finalised for central delivery by the College of Policing (Cabinet Office, Feb 2026). It stated that training was scheduled to go live in spring 2025 and the work strand had been closed through National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) governance in May 2024, though the update did not mention Force Duty Officers (Cabinet Office, Feb 2026). The Southport Inquiry noted in April 2026 that decision-making principles for threat to life situations are addressed across police training, including the Force Incident Manager course (Sir Adrian Fulford, Apr 2026).
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 5 Oct 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
Accepted in full
Delivery
Cabinet Office says completed (27 February 2026)
Force Incident Manager (FIM) Accredited Training - The FIM curriculum has been finalised along with accreditation processes and supporting guidance. A training team is being created, as delivery of the course will be centrally managed by the College. This training is set to go live in Spring 2025 for all new FIMs and to include existing FIMs where appropriate. This work takes into account recommendations 62,63,66.This work strand has been closed via NPCC Governance May 2024.
Earlier statement on delivery (1)
Cabinet Office (14 November 2025)
Force Incident Manager (FIM) Accredited Training - The FIM curriculum has been finalised along with accreditation processes and supporting guidance. A training team is being created, as delivery of the course will be centrally managed by the College. This training is set to go live in Spring 2025 for all new FIMs and to include existing FIMs where appropriate. This work takes into account recommendations 62,63,66.This work strand has been closed via NPCC Governance May 2024.
From: Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, original version (data file)
What other bodies have found
In their own words. These do not change the delivery statement above.
Southport Inquiry (13 April 2026)
I recognise that the police use overarching principles of decision making which address the question of calculated risk in threat to life situations, in particular the National Decision Making Model, and that these themes are addressed in many elements of police training, including the Force Incident Manager course and via Stay Safe training.
From: The Southport Inquiry: Phase 1 report, volume 1 (accessible), Sir Adrian Fulford, Chair, Southport Public Inquiry
Published evidence
Published findings referenced by inspectorates, select committees, official progress reports, and other sources. Source type badge indicates whether the finding is independent or government self-reported. Each finding is this site's summary of what the source found, with a link to the source; this site does not add its own progress rating.
Summary by this site of the published finding
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.
Source
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- UK Government
Response - Cabinet Office
Delivery statement - Southport Inquiry
Finding