Recommendation SP26: Recording words and behaviour of high-risk individuals
From The Southport Inquiry Report: Phase 1, published 13 April 2026.
Recommendation
Lancashire Constabulary, and the College of Policing nationally, should ensure that forms and training emphasise the importance of recording, as precisely as possible, the words and behaviour of individuals who may pose a significant risk to others.
In brief (written by this site)
In July 2026, HM Government stated that the police lead activity to respond to policing recommendations because forces remain operationally independent (Home Office response, Jul 2026). The department noted that it had written to the National Police Chiefs' Council and the College of Policing setting out the relevant recommendations, and would work with policing over the coming months to monitor implementation (Home Office response, Jul 2026). The record holds no update since the government's response of July 2026 (Home Office response, Jul 2026).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
The first duty of the government is to keep citizens safe and the country secure, and the Police play a fundamental role in doing so. The Chair makes several recommendations to policing bodies, in Chapter 7 of his report and elsewhere. The police remain operationally independent of the Home Office and so it is right that the police lead activity to respond to these recommendations and observations. Where recommendations are shared with central government departments, we will deliver these in partnership and drive activity to address the Chair’s concerns.
90. The Home Office has written to the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing setting out the relevant recommendations. Home Office officials will work with these organisations to report on delivery of the recommendations, and the Home Secretary will ask the National Police Chiefs’ Council to regularly report back on how the key policing measures are being implemented. The Home Office will work with policing over the coming months to monitor progress on delivering these recommendations. Where recommendations are made for a particular force, we expect policing to consider how they can apply to the rest of the country.
How this response relates to the recommendation
Site note: The source gives this passage once, for paragraphs 89 and 90 of its section on policing, the Chair's recommendations to policing bodies. The response does not list those recommendations or name this one; the site places it in the group because the recommendation is addressed to a police force. The same words are recorded on SP6, SP7, SP17, SP26, SP27, SP28 and SP29.
Blanket government agreement does not establish acceptance or delivery by each addressee. Some response passages cover groups of recommendations.
Scope of the government response
The government's response to Phase 1 (CP 1623, 2 July 2026) agreed with all 67 recommendations in one sentence, and names only 39 of them individually. Where a recommendation is not named, the response shown is the passage the response gives for the group it belongs to (the recommendations for organisations outside central government, or the recommendations to policing bodies), which is not a response to that recommendation alone; the response does not list the members of any group. The 10 recommendations for Phase 2 of the Inquiry to consider show no response: the response introduces them (paragraph 20) but answers none of them. The government accepts the recommendations that are for central government to deliver. Where a recommendation is for an organisation outside central government, the government's agreement is not that organisation's acceptance.
Delivery
No statement on delivery from Lancashire Constabulary has been found in the sources searched (last checked 2 July 2026). This is separate from the response above.
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- Home Office
Response