GM Mayor Burnham - Arena personnel were 'under-prepared' at time of 2017 bombing

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has acknowledged that security and emergency personnel were ‘under-prepared’ at the time when 22 people were murdered in the Manchester Arena bombing in May, 2017.

Royton mums Lisa Lees and Alison Howe were among those killed at the end of an Ariana Grande concert in the city centre.

Bomber Salman Abedi should have been identified as a threat by security, an inquiry chairman said yesterday (Thursday), while victim Martyn Hett’s father said those who died were "failed on every level".

Mr Burnham said: “This will be an extremely difficult day for the families who lost loved-ones and those injured on the night of 22 May 2017 and they are uppermost in our thoughts.

“We will continue to support them in any way we can to get all of the answers they need, however difficult that is.

"I want to thank the Inquiry Chair, Sir John Saunders, and the whole Inquiry team for their vitally important work and the way they have put the families at the heart of it.

“We will give the most careful consideration to this report and we commit to working with the relevant bodies to act on its findings.

"We know that the report will make for difficult reading for many people but no-one more so than those who were bereaved or injured.

“All of the organisations involved on the night owe it to them to face up fully to Sir John’s findings, to take responsibility and make the changes needed to prevent others going through what they have been going through these last four years.

"There are wider lessons for us all. It is sadly clear that the country was under-prepared for an attack of this nature outside London and that security arrangements at large-scale events were insufficient.

“I am encouraged that the Chair has called for an overhaul of the law in relation to security at venues and this is an endorsement of the outstanding campaigning work of Figen Murray, mother of Martyn Hett.

“The Government will have our full support in legislating for a Protect Duty, which here in Greater Manchester will always be known as Martyn's Law and which will always remind us of each and every one of the 22 individual lives that were lost on that night."

Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson will now take away the report - the first of three published by the public inquiry - and ‘carefully consider the recommendations’.

"We welcome the publication of Volume One of the Manchester Arena Inquiry following what has been a very detailed and thorough process,” said Mr Watson.

"Greater Manchester Police has sought to support the Manchester Arena Inquiry and its evidence gathering throughout. We have already identified and made many positive improvements to the service we provide as evidence has been heard and this work continues.

"As an organisation, we will always do our utmost to keep the people of Greater Manchester safe so any opportunity for us to improve our ability to do so is one that we will strongly embrace.

"We will now need some time to reflect on the report in detail and carefully consider the recommendations that have been made.

“We will also continue to closely support the Public Inquiry for the remaining chapters and, as they have been from the very start, our thoughts today remain with all those whose lives were devastated by this horrible attack.”

Home Secretary Priti Patel said the government will also "carefully consider" the report and would respond fully in due course.

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