Public Inquiry Recommendations

SP4 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Taxi driver duty to report criminal activity

The Department for Transport should require local authorities to ensure that all licensed taxi drivers have a clear duty promptly to report any significant criminal activity they witness while working. …

SP6 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Police use of unarmed officers in immediate threat

All police forces should ensure that their policies, guidance and training address taking on a calculated degree of risk in recognition of the immediate need to protect the public from …

SP7 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Second Force Incident Manager support

All police forces that have not implemented a model providing immediate and direct support to Force Incident Managers, ideally through a second Force Incident Manager, should consider adopting such arrangements …

SP8 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Ambulance staff training exercise funding

NHS England should review funding, and consider providing additional resources, to enable all emergency response ambulance staff to participate in appropriate training exercises.

SP9 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

NWAS Major Incident declaration procedures

North West Ambulance Service should review its procedures for declaring a Major Incident or Major Incident (Standby) to ensure clarity in how declarations are made and how they are communicated …

SP10 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Police-ambulance terminology interoperability

Merseyside Police and North West Ambulance Service should review the terminology used in their systems and procedures to ensure shared understanding and interoperability. The College of Policing and the National …

SP11 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Out-of-school settings guidance update

The Department for Education should update the out‑of‑school settings guidance by reviewing the health and safety section to ensure terminology is clear and consistent, particularly regarding emergency plans and fire/evacuation …

SP13 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Regulation of castor bean sales

The Home Office’s ongoing review of the sale of castor beans should consider regulation of the number of castor beans that can be sold in a single transaction.

SP16 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Guidance on suspicious archery/crossbow purchasers

The Home Office should provide clear guidance to all UK retailers of archery bows and crossbows on identifying and reporting suspicious behaviour, including underage purchasers or those who appear to …

SP17 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Investigation of Ageo Wholesale knife marketing

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis should consider an investigation, with input from the Crown Prosecution Service if appropriate, as to whether Ageo Wholesale UK Ltd committed criminal offences …

SP18 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Online knife retailer compliance with Knives Act

The Home Office should take immediate action to ensure that online knife retailers are complying with the Knives Act 1997, particularly regarding the marketing of knives, machetes, swords and similar …

SP19 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Amazon bladed article delivery controls

Amazon should: 1. Improve its measures to prevent children from making purchases, including making the conditions of use and sale more prominent. 2. Improve the labelling on packaging of bladed …

SP21 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

School monitoring and filtering systems guidance

The Department for Education should review and strengthen its guidance to schools on monitoring and filtering systems, including ensuring that the systems used are appropriate and adequate from a technical …

SP22 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

LCC online harms risk assessment review

Lancashire County Council should undertake a comprehensive review of how its children’s services and Early Help teams (i.e. Children and Family Wellbeing Service) assess and manage risk and online harms …

SP23 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Coroner and inquiry Ofcom notification powers

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology should consider extending the powers under the Online Safety Act 2023 to enable Senior Coroners to make a notification to Ofcom to obtain …

SP25 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Operation Encompass cross-border extension

Lancashire Constabulary should consider extending Operation Encompass to share automatically relevant information with schools in bordering areas. The Department for Education should consider national implementation. This is because children will …

SP26 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Recording words and behaviour of high-risk individuals

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 …

SP27 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Cross-force information sharing review

Lancashire Constabulary and Merseyside Police should review the effectiveness of their information‑sharing systems and consider whether a more robust process is required. Findings should be shared with the National Police …

SP28 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Recording case information on police systems

Lancashire Constabulary should ensure its training and systems address the risks associated with failing to record case information on police systems so it is readily available to others. The National …

SP29 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Risks posed by children and young people

Lancashire Constabulary should ensure its procedures and training sufficiently addresses the risks children and young people may pose to others and the options for addressing that risk. The College of …

SP30 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Autism spectrum disorder police training

1. Lancashire Constabulary should strengthen its autism spectrum disorder‑related training for new officers and through continuous development. 2. National policing bodies, with input from the Department of Health and Social …

SP31 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Response officer access to case information technology

1. Lancashire Constabulary should ensure response officers have access to effective technology providing clear, essential case information. 2. The National Police Chiefs’ Council, College of Policing and Home Office should …

SP32 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Prevent training on online activity assessment

While training for Counter Terrorism Policing, staff involved in Prevent currently cover the importance of understanding a referred individual’s online activity and the practical steps required to assess it, the …

SP33 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

CT Policing online activity analysis capability

Counter Terrorism Policing’s capability to access and analyse data relating to a referred person’s online activity should be reviewed in the context of Prevent referrals, to determine whether staff have …

SP34 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Neurodiversity training for Prevent practitioners

Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters should review its neurodiversity training for Prevent practitioners (including, where appropriate, drawing in wider healthcare advice) to ensure that they sufficiently equip practitioners with a proper …

SP35 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Balancing vulnerability with professional curiosity

Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters should review and where necessary strengthen the training that Counter Terrorism officers involved in Prevent already receive to ensure that they understand the importance of balancing …

SP36 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Sharing information about closed Prevent referrals

Counter Terrorism Policing Headquarters and the Home Office should assess and issue clear guidance on best practice for sharing appropriate information about closed Prevent referrals. This guidance should ensure that …

SP37 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Prevent Supervisor training on closure decisions

Prevent Supervisors should receive improved role specific training, including training on supervising decisions to close Prevent referrals and ensuring that all outstanding actions have been completed. This may be achieved …

SP38 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Prevent referral training for organisations

Building on the Key Principles of Prevent issued on 23 February 2026, the Home Office should ensure that accessible information and appropriate training materials should be made available to organisations …

SP39 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Working Together guidance on risks to others

The Department for Education should update Working Together to Safeguard Children and the Children’s Social Care National Framework. These documents should highlight that safeguarding and child protection assessments, when considering …

SP40 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

LCC frontline staff Prevent training

Lancashire County Council should ensure that by 13 October 2026 all its frontline staff have received suitable training, or refresher training, on Prevent.

SP41 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Social worker supervision for Level 3 cases

Lancashire County Council should ensure that its arrangements for social workers provide appropriate support and supervision for family support workers handling Level 3 cases on the Continuum of Need.

SP42 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Decisions based on assessed need not inflexible criteria

Lancashire County Council should review its processes and training to ensure decisions regarding children and families are made on the basis of assessed need rather than inflexible criteria such as …

SP43 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Significance of multiple referrals

Lancashire County Council should ensure that its policies and training emphasise the significance of multiple referrals when considering the relevant risks relating to a child (including the risk to others).

SP44 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Frontline staff access to full case information

1. Lancashire County Council should ensure that frontline staff are required to familiarise themselves with full case information, with this being embedded through training and performance review. 2. Lancashire County …

SP45 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Autism training for frontline social care staff

Lancashire County Council should ensure frontline staff receive appropriate training on autism spectrum disorder, emphasising that autism does not necessarily explain or excuse behaviour. The Department for Education should ensure …

SP46 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Addressing parental consent manipulation

1. Lancashire County Council should consider how to address repeated lack of consent or manipulation of consent within existing legislation. 2. Phase 2 should consider whether legal reforms are needed …

SP47 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Audit of LCC Child and Youth Justice Service

Lancashire County Council, in consultation with the Youth Justice Board, should arrange for a comprehensive and independent audit to be undertaken of the Lancashire County Council Child and Youth Justice …

SP48 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Training on Child and Youth Justice Service

1. Lancashire County Council should ensure that staff within Children and Family Wellbeing Service, and Children’s Social Care receive training on the services available through the Child and Youth Justice …

SP49 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Audit of Young Adults Team transition assessments

Lancashire County Council, with the Care Quality Commission, should commission an independent audit of the Young Adults Team to ensure assessments for transition to adult care are timely, properly reasoned …

SP50 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Healthcare trust risk information visibility

The Department of Health and Social Care / NHS England should ensure that all healthcare trusts involved in the care of children and young people who are at risk of …

SP51 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

GMMH local structured risk assessment responsibility

At the local level, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust should liaise with all of the relevant community healthcare organisations (including Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and Criminal …

SP52 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

National guidance on structured risk assessments

Nationally, the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England should review: 1. Whether there is a need for further development and guidance including on the thresholds for when …

SP53 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

GMMH and Alder Hey joint SMART audit

At the local level, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust and Alder Hey Children’s NHS Foundation Trust should by no later than 13 October 2026 carry out and report …

SP54 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

National guidance on SMART action points

Nationally, the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England should consider whether nationwide guidance should be issued on the importance of action points from all relevant meetings involving …

SP57 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Agencies to respect school insight on risk

The Home Office (for police forces nationwide) Counter Terrorism Police Headquarters (for Prevent), Department of Health and Social Care (for all healthcare providers) and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local …

SP58 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

KCSIE 2026 safeguarding information transfer

The Department for Education, in finalising the Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance 2026, and in any necessary amendments to other policy and guidance, should ensure that: 1. In cases …

SP59 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

Audit of safeguarding information transfer between schools

The Department for Education should carry out an audit to ensure that safeguarding information is reliably being passed between schools and should consider what further role Ofsted may play to …

SP60 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

School safeguarding recording systems

The Department for Education should ensure (either by direct guidance or through Ofsted) that all schools are required to record safeguarding information in a system that is fit for purpose.

SP61 Accepted

Southport Inquiry (2026)

LCC education provision and attendance audit

Lancashire County Council should, by no later than 13 October 2026, carry out and report on an audit (preferably involving an experienced independent external member) to review: 1. The speed …