The Nottingham attacks Inquiry has heard that there was failure in force’s terrorist attack response after triple killings
It heard that the national emergency services protocol was only engaged after Valdo Calocane killed undergraduates Barnaby Webber, Grace O’Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates in June 2023
There was a failure in Nottinghamshire Police’s response when the protocol for a terrorist attack was declared after three people were killed and three others were injured by schizophrenic Valdo Calocane, a public inquiry has heard.
Operation Plato, the national emergency services protocol for responding to a “marauding terrorist attack”, was engaged after Calocane killed undergraduates Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and 65-year-old grandfather Ian Coates, and ran over three pedestrians with a stolen van in June 2023.
Inspector Peter Shaw, who was response policing inspector at the scene, was “completely in the dark” that Operation Plato had been declared until four-and-a-half hours after it had been triggered and until after the protocol had been rescinded, chairwoman Deborah Taylor was told.
Sophie Cartwright KC, who represents two of the survivors of the attacks, asked Mr Shaw: “You were not made aware when the Plato was declared shortly after half-past-five in the morning, and so that in itself, would you agree, is a systemic failure that happened on the night?”
He said: “Yes.”
Ms Cartwright continued: “And so it shows, would you agree, that Nottingham Police on June 13 2023 was fundamentally ill-prepared for a terrorist attack?”
Mr Shaw said: “I can say that I wasn’t told, which is a massive deviation from the plan, yes.”
He added: “I think to say that the organisation was fundamentally ill-prepared is a bit of a leap from a mistake on that night of me not being told.
“I wouldn’t like to stretch that to the whole organisation because there are plans, and there are plans to tell me, so that was an error on that night rather than the organisation not being prepared.”
Mr Shaw told the inquiry, which is being held in central London: “It is a Plato failure in terms of the ground (commander) not being informed.”
He said: “The first I knew was when the daytime (force incident manager) called me… and was surprised that I didn’t know that there had been a Plato declaration.”
Operation Plato was not triggered until after Calocane ran over three people with a van he stole from Mr Coates.
Ms Cartwright asked why it was not engaged after officers obtained footage showing the “ferocity” of Calocane’s attack on Mr Webber and Ms O’Malley-Kumar.
She said: “Would you agree… that this was a frenzied marauding attack that could have been, even at the early stage, engaging Operation Plato?”
Mr Shaw responded: “I wouldn’t say that looking at that footage would suggest a marauding attack.”
Police Constable Matthew Bower, who arrested Calocane, said that he thought the killer was “waiting” to attack officers when they found him in the van that morning.
Pc Bower said Calocane had stopped the vehicle but was still “sat in the front holding a knife”.
The officer said: “My consideration was he’d seen the marked (police) car behind him and was possibly waiting for them to approach in order to attack them.
“So as I’ve exited, I’ve pulled up next to him initially, seen him with the dagger in his hand. I’ve exited and gone to the rear thinking I’ll pass without him seeing me, get the passenger door open. And the van, I think, has lurched backwards.”
Asked what Calocane’s state of mind was when he was arrested, Pc Bower said: “He was very focused. No real emotion on his face.”
The inquiry continues.