Operation Plato

Operation Plato is a British omnibus governmental protocol enacted in the event of major national or regional emergencies requiring the immediate coordination of multiple first responders and national governmental echelons; most notably Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (more familiarly known as Cobra) is convened. The Joint Operating Principles (JOP) automatically come into play^{[ clarification needed ]}. Operation Plato is used by police when responding to a "marauding terror attack". ^[1]

Incidents

• It was activated during the Manchester Arena bombing but force duty officer (FDO) Insp Dale Sexton went against guidance and kept Operation Plato "secret" so that paramedics, unarmed police and members of the public helping the injured would not be withdrawn from a "hot zone", in which only armed officers should operate. ^[2]
• It was activated (by the Greater Manchester Police) ^[3] for the 2 October 2025 Manchester synagogue attack on Yom Kippur ^{[3] [4]}
• It was initially activated but later rescinded in response to the 2025 Cambridgeshire train stabbing on 1 November 2025. ^[5]

References

1. "What is Plato? Police operation declared after stabbing at synagogue in Manchester". ITV News. 2 October 2025.
2. "Manchester Arena Inquiry: Emergency joint response 'went wrong'". 24 May 2021.
3. "Starmer says Britain must defeat rising antisemitic hatred after two killed in Manchester synagogue attack". BBC News.
4. Davies, Caroline; Ambrose, Tom; Davies (now), Caroline; Ambrose (earlier), Tom (Oct 2, 2025). "Synagogue attacker who killed two was a 'terrorist targeting Jews because they are Jews', says Starmer – latest updates". the Guardian– via www.theguardian.com.
5. "Huntingdon train stabbing: How the mass attack unfolded". Sky News. Retrieved 2025-11-02.