AG-4 Response Accepted Self-assessed

North West Armed Policing SOP Amendment

Recommendation

The North West Armed Policing Standard Operating Procedure on Weapons and Ammunition should be amended so that it only permits the use of new specialist munitions that have been approved in accordance with the Code of Practice for Armed Policing and Less Lethal Weapons.

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
By May 2020, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) informed the government that they had taken action, in anticipation of this recommendation, regarding the use of specialist munitions (Government Response, May 2020). The Inquiry had specifically raised concerns about GMP's use of unapproved CS dispersal canisters. However, no specific public document or amendment to the North West Armed Policing Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) confirming this change has been identified since May 2020.
How was this assessed?
Assessed by gemini-2.5-flash on 18 Mar 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
External sources searched: www.gov.uk, www.legislation.gov.uk, hansard.parliament.uk
This recommendation requires implementation across many organisations. The assessment reflects central policy response, not adoption in individual organisations.
Jurisdiction
England and Wales
Response
Accepted
Accepted Greater Manchester Police
21 May 2020

20. The use of CS dispersal canisters by GMP during Operation Shire was a focus of concern for the Inquiry. The CS dispersal canisters had not been through the approval process that includes the identification of an operational requirement by NPCC, testing by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and approval by the Home Secretary for use by police forces in the UK. 21. Greater Manchester Police has informed the Government that in anticipation of a recommendation of this nature, they have revised their Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to set out that only Less Lethal Weapons and Specialist Munitions which have been approved by Defence Science and Technology laboratories (Dstl), NPCC and Home Office should be used. 22. GMP are updating the SOP now that the new Code of Practice for Armed Policing and Less Lethal Weapons has been published.

Read Full Response
Source
Inquiry Anthony Grainger Inquiry
Report The Anthony Grainger Inquiry Report into the Death of Anthony Grainger 11 Jul 2019
View Source
Responsible Bodies
Greater Manchester Police Primary
Themes & Tags
Police Vetting Inconsistencies Emergency responder equipment training Armed Policing Weapons Standard Operating Procedures North West
Recommendation age 6.7 yrs
Last formal update 2133 days ago