The impact of the Manchester Arena terror attack: next steps for public safety and policy

Manchester Arena held an Ariana Grande concert on the 22nd of May 2017 as a destination of one of the shows on her Dangerous Woman Tour. Around 14,000 people attended the show. Shortly after the concert ended and people started to exit the arena, terrorist Salman Abedi detonated an improvised suicide bomb that was packed with nuts and bolts to ensure maximum harm, in the arena foyer otherwise known as the City Room (Kerslake, 2018). This was the deadliest attack in the UK since the 7/7 bombings in 2005, killing 22 people including children and injuring 116 (Kerslake, 2018). Sixty ambulances and 400 police officers attended the immediate scene (BBC News, 2017). The principal goal of this research project is to improve public safety and protection from terror threats. This research study conducted qualitative empirical research to investigate the impact of the attack on victims. The key findings look at the days following the attack and the initial thoughts and feelings of the victims focusing on public safety, attitudes towards current public safety measures and returning to concerts and changes they would like to see in public safety. Using thematic analysis, the key findings of this project show the lack of concern in current government policy regarding public safety. The topic of public safety and terrorism is a growing area in research (Schuurman, 2018). This case study is particularly important to create change and to learn from previous mistakes to ensure they are not repeated (Manchester Arena Inquiry, 2020).