“I’m truly sorry.” This was Chief Constable Stephen Watson’s message to the families of the 22 victims of the Manchester Arena Bombing todauy.
"The buck stops with me,” declared Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue’s Chief Fire Officer David Russel accepting that grave failures were made in the emergency services response to the Manchester Arena bombing in May 2017. “We are and will be accountable, I do not shy away from personal responsibility,” CC Watson added as he, Mr Russel, Lucy D’Orsi of British Transport Police and Darren Mochrie of the North West Ambulance Service accepted the findings of today’s second part of the inquiry into the attack.
Inquiry chair Sir John Saunders was highly critical of the immediate response to the bombing, with all of the emergency services coming under scrutiny. Sir Saunders also found that one of the 22 victims, John Atkinson, a 28-year-old carer from Radcliffe, could have survived if the response were better.
Each agency accepted their own failings, as well as their failure to work together during such a critical incident. The brunt of the criticism has been aimed at GMP, with CC Watson repeating that one officer has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) while investigations remain underway into officers within the BTP who were present on the night.
The GMP chief said: “A catastrophic failure of JESIP working (multiple agencies working together).” CFO Russel went as far to say he was “ashamed” and it was “deep matter of regret” that the fire and rescue service were not at the arena for two hours after the attacks.
All four defiantly asserted that real changes have been made as a result of the attack and the subsequent inquiry to not only their own agency, but all as part of the Greater Manchester Resilience Forum, so they can work more effectively together to respond to marauding terrorist attack (MTA). And while it will be of little consolation to the still grieving families and the countless others deeply affected by the events of May 22, 2017, all hold confidence that their joint response to any future attack would be at the standard the public accept.
Leading the statements, CC Watson said: “Beyond the selflessness and professionalism of so many of our frontline staff however, it is also clear that our coordination of the response to this atrocity was inadequate. We had failed to plan effectively and the execution of that which had been planned, was simply not good enough. Our actions were substantially inadequate and fell short of what the public had every right to expect. For this I apologise unreservedly.
“Our failure to effect proper command and control of the incident, from the outset, undermined an effective multi-agency response to a dreadful set of circumstances. We did not act upon learning from previous exercises which could have reduced the burden or impact felt on the Force Duty Officer. Poor communications, poor planning, inadequate training and shortcomings in strategic leadership all played a part in our failure.
“Sadly, GMP’s combined failings were significant and contributed to the loss of life. To the families and loved ones of those who died, I am truly sorry. It is important that we now take the time to carefully consider every facet to the volume published today and we have a dedicated team already in place for this purpose.
“In short, I am already able to confidently state that GMP is now in a fundamentally stronger position than it was in 2017, should we be called upon to lead and respond to a similarly challenging event.”
CFO Russel, accepting Sir Saunders findings, said: “Our response that night was wholly inadequate and totally ineffective, and that will forever be a matter of deep regret for our Service. We let the families and the public down in their time of need and for that I am truly sorry.
“Every firefighter who joins Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service wants to do their best. The best job they can – to help, to support, to assist the public and to save lives. Those that were eventually deployed to the incident that night did the best they could - albeit it was far too late.
“We were simply too late in our response. But five years on from the attack, I want the public to know that this will never happen again…I know the spotlight today is rightly on what our Service got wrong on the night of the attack and I want to reiterate my deepest apologies to the families and survivors. I want the public to know the same mistakes would not be made today – and have confidence that, never again, will we fall short of what the public should rightly expect of their fire and rescue service.”
Chief Constable Lucy D'Orsi, of British Transport Police, added she is “truly sorry” for the “significant errors” in the lead up to the attack. “No learning can turn back the clock. No apology can mend a broken heart. We can only reflect on today’s report with candour, and I promise you, we will do better,” she told the press conference.
CEO of NWAS, Darren Mochrie, praised the brave actions of all the NHS that night. However, he recognised that more staff should have been deployed to the City Room to treat people, saying he was “truly sorry we couldn’t help John (Atkinson)”.
“On occasions like this, the word sorry has the risk of sounding hollow. Nevertheless, I want to make it clear that while our actions were well-intentioned, we apologise wholeheartedly for our failures. They weigh heavily on us individually and as an organisation,” he added.
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