From Prevent to Protect and Prepare: The Manchester Arena Attack and Shifting Priorities in the United Kingdom’s Counter-Terrorism Strategy (CONTEST)

Abstract

This article analyses the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy CONTEST from a Disaster Management perspective. The article argues that since the Manchester Arena attack in May 2017, there has been a reorientation in CONTEST away from a primary focus on Prevent towards a greater concern with Protect and Prepare. We argue this move should be welcome, given it provides the wider benefit of embedding emergency preparedness and improving multi-agency response to all types of major incident in the UK. The article analyses the inquiry into the Manchester Arena attack to identify three important lessons for the development of CONTEST.