Aim
To undertake an independent review of Greater Manchester’s preparedness for and response to the Manchester Arena Terrorist Attack. To advise the Mayor, in the exercise of his Police and Crime Commissioner function, of those aspects of the preparedness and response that were effective and those that may inform future good practice, together with where necessary and appropriate to advise on what steps might be taken to address any areas that may be strengthened or improved.
Rationale
In the period from 22nd March to 19th June 2017 the UK was subject to four separate terrorist related events each causing loss of life and life changing injuries. The scale, nature and consequences of the Manchester Arena Terrorist Attack on 22nd May were unprecedented in Greater Manchester with a disproportionate impact on our children and young people. The UK threat level from international terrorism at the time of commissioning this review is at 'severe', and in the days after the Manchester Arena Terrorist Attack it briefly stood at 'critical'. This underscores the need to do all we can to ensure our communities are safe and for learning to be shared and recommendations acted upon as promptly as possible. There is also a responsibility to identify where Greater Manchester led or delivered good practice and to share this in order to drive the next level of response in the UK.
Remit
The review will cover the multi-agency planning and activity to prepare for a terrorist attack (prior to 22nd May 2017). It will also explore the effectiveness of and joint working between services in the response phase (22nd May to 31st May 2017), together with how effective the response was in supporting those directly impacted by the Attack.
The Coronial Service will be one of the agencies included in the Review as outlined in the Commissioning Report. However it is important to note that the nature and extent of the Coroner’s involvement in the Review will be informed by the Coroner’s judicial role and the fact that the Coronial investigation is ongoing.
The review will seek to identify learning in relation to the following:
Objectives
Placing the experiences of those directly affected by the Manchester Arena Terrorist Attack at the heart of the review:
To assess the preparedness of Greater Manchester for the Manchester Arena Terrorist Attack, including multi-agency planning and capacity development
Out of Scope
The review will not seek to identify learning in relation to the following:
The panel will, at appropriate times throughout the review seek advice from Counsel, the Coroner and the North West Counter Terrorism Unit on the points outlined above.
Timescales
The independent review will be phased as follows:
Outputs