Counter terror chief says emergency response to Manchester Arena bombing was ‘not as expected’ after police declared incident terrorist attack but did not tell fire or ambulance services, inquiry hears
- Emergency services’ response to 2017 bombing ‘lacked cohesion,’ inquiry hears
- Police initially did not tell other services that terror operation had been declared
- One paramedic had to treat patients alone for 40 minutes before others arrived
A counter terror police officer says the emergency response to the Manchester Arena bombing was ‘not as expected,’ after police declared a terrorist attack but did not tell fire or ambulance services, an inquiry has heard.
Richard Thomas told today’s inquiry the emergency response to the May 2017 attack ‘lacked cohesion,’ after a bomb was detonated following an Ariana Grande concert, killing 22 men, women and children.
In the event of a marauding terrorist firearms attack, Greater Manchester Police were trained to declare a specialist response dubbed ‘Operation Plato’ and inform ambulance and fire crews.
Today’s inquiry heard GMP declared the operation 16 minutes after Salman Abedi detonated a backpack bomb, amid reports that gunfire had been heard.
However, fire and ambulance services were not initially informed.
The inquiry has heard that only one paramedic was at the scene of the bombing for the first 40 minutes after the explosion on May 22, 2017 and that the first fire engine arrived more than two hours after the blast.
Operation Plato – a designated terror response for emergency services, was deployed by Greater Manchester Police 16 minutes after Salman Abedi detonated a backpack bomb at Manchester Arena in May 2017 – however, police did not initially tell ambulance or fire crews
Giving evidence on Wednesday, Richard Thomas, from Counter Terrorism Policing HQ, agreed that communication to key agencies after Plato is declared is important.
However, the inquiry has previously heard that GMP did not initially inform the fire and ambulance services, and policing experts have said the deployment and command of Operation Plato at the scene was not ‘adequately addressed’ and the scene command ‘lacked multi-agency cohesion’.
He said the operation’s aim is to achieve a ‘considered response from all three emergency services in order to give us the best possible chance to save life’.
Today’s inquiry heard the emergency service’s response to the Manchester Arena bombings ‘lacked multi-agency cohesion’
He said local ambulance and fire service control rooms should be notified as soon as possible so all three services can activate contingency plans in a co-ordinated manner.
Counsel to the inquiry Paul Greaney QC asked him: ‘You don’t seem to accommodate the possibility that it would ever be appropriate for a police commander to declare Operation Plato and then not tell the partner emergency services about it?’
Mr Thomas replied: ‘Yes, I struggle to foresee a set of circumstances where that would not be the case.’
A joint ‘dynamic decision-making process’ should follow, which leads to the identification of hot, cold and warm zones – depending on the current threat of terrorist activity – and an agreed tactical plan to treat and evacuate casualties, the inquiry heard.
Salman Abedi killed 22 men, women and children in the blast in May 2017. The inquiry has heard that only one paramedic was at the scene of the bombing for the first 40 minutes after the explosion and that the first fire engine arrived more than two hours after the blast.
Duncan Atkinson QC, representing the families of some of the 22 innocent victims of the Arena attack, said: ‘Clearly what the guidance intended was that the other agencies be told so that joined-up decisions could then be made as to who should go where and do what?’
Mr Thomas said: ‘That’s exactly right, sir.’
Mr Atkinson went on: ‘And if there were concerns on the one hand about putting responders at risk and on the other hand saving lives, those were things to be worked out jointly through three-way communication of the emergency services?
Mr Thomas said: ‘Exactly, sir.’
The inquiry has heard that only one paramedic was at the scene of the bombing for the first 40 minutes after the explosion on May 22 2017 and that the first fire engine arrived more than two hours after the blast.
The hearing continues on Monday.