Martyn’s Law requires premises to consider their vulnerability to acts of terrorism and be prepared to keep people safe.
What is Martyn’s Law?
Martyn Hett was a victim of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombings. Martyn’s mother is now a counter terrorism expert. She has received recognition for her work to improve public safety, spearheading the campaign for this new legislation.
Martyn’s Law is officially called The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act. It received Royal Assent in April this year. There is now a 24 month period of implementation before it will be enforced in 2027. This gives those responsible for premises and events the time to understand their responsibilities and put the appropriate measures in place. From 2027 the Security Industry Authority will be responsible for enforcing the law.
This law draws on Fire Safety concepts such as having a responsible person, and taking measures that are ‘reasonably practicable’. In the case of Martyn’s Law, it is the person responsible for the premises, or responsible for the event at the premises.
Who does the Act apply to?
The Act has a very large scope, covering sports grounds, stations and shops to hotels, hospitals and halls. The law will apply to visitor attractions, places of worship and cinemas as well as restaurants, museums and colleges. Where premises are subject to existing legislations (eg airports) or or are generally open access (eg parks and recreation grounds), they will not be within the scope of this Act.
The aim of the Act is to “improve protective security and organisational preparedness” according to the home office. Martyn’s Law applies to premises where 200 or more people may be present, and is broken down into two tiers. Premises with a capacity between 200 – 799 will be subject to standard duty requirements. Larger premises will be subject to enhanced requirements. It’s important to note that these numbers include staff. Where there are measures in place to control entry (e.g. checking tickets or taking payments) these premises and events will be in the enhanced tier.
Standard and Enhanced Tier Requirements
In all cases, the responsible person will be required to notify the Security Industry Authority (SIA) of their premises and have appropriate protection procedures in place. These procedures should be followed by people working at a premises or event, should an act of terrorism take place. They could include evacuating the premises, locking it down or moving people to a safe place.
The standard tier requirements should ensure premises are better prepared to deal with an attack with measures such as being able to identify safe routes to cover. The enhanced requirements include taking steps to reduce vulnerability to a terrorist attack at an event or premises. This includes monitoring the premises and the immediate vicinity. This could involve CCTV and other monitoring, bag and vehicle checks. Premises and events of this size are also required to provide documentation to the SIA regarding the public protection procedures in place and risk assessments.
Those responsible for fire safety will see many similarities here.
The government is clear about not putting unnecessary financial burden on businesses or charities responsible for events and premises which fall under this act. It suggests that people should have the appropriate training to carry out their roles at events and premises. However it says that specifying a one size fits all training course is unnecessary.
Further reading: The Government’s Factsheet for Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025.