Martyn’s Law: what businesses need to know

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Martyn's Law:


What businesses need to know

Martyn’s Law is the well-known name for the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025. This is a new UK law aimed at improving public safety, and was previously known as the Protect Duty.

The law is named after Martyn Hett, who was one of the 22 people killed in the Manchester Arena attack in 2017. His mother, Figen Murray, has led a years-long campaign to improve safety in public venues and spaces.

The idea is simple: the public should be better protected in the places they visit, like arenas, shopping centres, entertainment venues and events.

The legislation will place legal responsibilities on spaces where 200 or more people could be present at once, even if this only happens occasionally. There are two tiers - standard and enhanced - based on the number of people present and in some cases, what the premises is used for. The requirements are designed to help reduce risk in the event of an attack by developing a process to respond effectively. For higher capacity venues, there are also requirements which will help reduce the risk of an attack happening.

Terrorism is a very real threat in the UK. Since the Manchester Attack in 2017, there have been 15 further terrorist attacks on British soil, and almost 40 disrupted late-stage attacks. It’s becoming more common for attacks to use simple but deadly weapons like vehicles or knives. These attacks are hard to predict but not impossible to prepare for.

Martyn’s Law aims to make that preparation consistent, saving lives in the process. The Act received Royal Assent on April 3rd, 2025 and we are now in a 24-month implementation period before it comes into force. This gives businesses and organisations time to understand their responsibilities and prepare.


Contents:

What is Martyn’s Law and where did it come from?

Martyn’s Law is named after 29-year-old Martyn Hett, who was one of the 22 people killed when a bomb was detonated inside Manchester Arena in May 2017.

Around a year after the attack, Martyn’s mother Figen Murray attended a theatre performance and was shocked at the lack of security checks. Feeling that lessons hadn't been learnt, she began to campaign for security measures that would keep people safe in public spaces.

The campaign originally asked for 5 key requirements to be put in place. This included requiring businesses to:

  • Engage with freely available counter-terrorism training
  • Risk assess a venue inside and outside to find vulnerabilities
  • Put in place measures to mitigate these vulnerabilities
  • Create a counter-terrorism action plan and make sure staff know what to do in the event of an attack

The fifth requirement was for Local Authorities to also be prepared for the risk of terrorism, and to work with bigger venues to lower this risk.

While there have been some changes during the process of the Act becoming law, it still broadly follows these principles. Those responsible for lower-capacity premises need to know how to respond to an attack, and larger premises must take appropriate steps to reduce their vulnerability to a terrorist attack.

Who Martyn’s Law applies to

The Act covers both physical premises and events which are accessible by the public. This includes shops, entertainment venues, libraries, hospitals, schools and more.

Officially called the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act, Martyn’s Law includes a tiered approach. The tiers are based on how many people (including staff) could reasonably be expected to be present at the same time.

  • Standard Tier. The standard duty applies to venues where at least 200 people could be present at the same time, even if this is only occasionally.
  • Enhanced Tier. The enhanced duty applies to venues or events where more than 800 people are expected to be present at the same time.

There is not currently a fixed way this capacity must be assessed. Methods including historic data and fire safety occupancy could be used to create a reasonable assessment.

Martyn’s Law requirements for different venue types

There are different requirements for each of these tiers, designed to reflect the level of risk and the number of people who might be present.

Standard duty requirements

For the standard tier, the focus is on simple but effective safety measures. These measures should be proportionate, with the biggest cost expected to be in time spent. The requirements are:

  • For the person responsible for the premises to notify the Security Industry Authority (SIA) of their premises
  • To put in place appropriate measures to protect the public, as far as reasonably practical

These procedures outline the actions that should be taken if a terrorist attack happened at - or close to - the premises. By knowing how to respond, there's a greater chance of reducing injury or fatalities. These procedures could include evacuation, invacuation (sheltering in a safe place) and lockdowns.

The aim is for simple, low-cost activities that could help to reduce risks in an emergency. There is no legal requirement for standard tier premises to put physical security measures in place.

Enhanced duty requirements

Premises in the enhanced tier need to meet the requirements of the standard tier, as well as:

  • Having appropriate measures to reduce the vulnerability of the premises to terrorism. This includes monitoring the premises and the immediate vicinity as far as is reasonably practical.
  • Documenting the procedures and measures put in place and providing this document to the SIA. This should include an assessment of how these measures will reduce vulnerability and the risk of harm.

When does Martyn’s Law come into effect?

The Act received Royal Assent in April 2025, and there's now expected to be an implementation period of at least 24 months. During this time, the regulator (the Security Industry Authority) will set up for its new responsibilities. Premises and events under the scope of the Act will also have time to understand their new responsibilities before they come into force.

During this period, the Home Office will be releasing easy-to-follow guidance which will help those affected to understand and prepare for the requirements.

While there is no legal obligation to meet Martyn's Law requirements yet, the threat of terrorism is ever present. There are a number of free resources available which organisations can use to be more prepared against terrorism. These include:

How Martyn’s Law will be enforced

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) will be the regulator for Martyn's Law. The SIA already oversees private security services across the UK. As a regulator, they will support in-scope premises and events to meet the requirements of the Act. The SIA will also be able to take enforcement action for serious or persistent non-compliance, with some criminal offences included in the legislation.

How can Cobac Security help?

The requirements of the Act build on best practice in the security industry, which we help clients to meet through our services.

As an approved contractor with the SIA, we've already been working to many of the requirements that appear in Martyn's Law. This includes developing thorough risk assessments and putting in place measures to mitigate risk.

Our teams work with businesses across the UK to help protect staff and customers. Our staff receive regular targeted training to ensure they are kept up to date with best practice.

We build out a detailed data profile for each site we work on, allowing us to be responsive to changes in local, national or site-based changes in risk.

If you’d like to find out more about how we can support your business, please get in touch on +44 (0)1332 948320 or information@cobacsecurity.co.uk.

FAQs

Has Martyn's law been passed yet?

Martyn's Law was given Royal Assent on April 3rd, 2025, which means it has now become law. There is a 24 month implementation period to give organisations time to prepare, so enforcement is expected from 2027.

How does Martyn's law affect schools?

If more than 200 people are expected to be present on the premises, then Martyn's Law will apply. There is no enhanced duty for primary, secondary and further education premises. These will continue to be treated as a standard duty premises, even if the capacity exceeds 800 people. Higher education facilities don't currently have this exemption, so may fall into either the standard or enhanced tier.

Does Martyn's Law apply to churches?

Yes, Martyn's Law will apply to any churches and places of worship which meet the qualifying criteria, i.e. an expectation that more than 200 people may be present at once. All qualifying places of worship will be treated as standard duty premises, even if the capacity is expected to be 800+ people.

Will Martyn's Law apply to charities?

Martyn's Law will apply to charities when the premises or events they operate fall within the scope of the Act. This is where 200 or more people (including staff) are expected to be present at once, even if this is only occasionally.

What's the current threat level in the UK?

The current threat level in the UK is Substantial, which means an attack is likely. This is the middle of 5 threat levels, which range from Low to Critical.

Which places are at risk of terrorist attacks in the UK?

Historically, terrorist attacks were often aimed at large targets and took significant planning. While these attacks are still a risk, recent years have seen a rise in more spontaneous attacks. These often use homemade or widely accessible weapons, and can be carried out by an individual acting alone. Smaller venues are now also targeted, often as there are fewer security measures to bypass.

The lower level of planning required makes it more challenging to predict and intercept these attacks. It's more important than ever that organisations are aware of the risk of terrorism and prepared for how to respond to an attack.

This is why we'd encourage all organisations to be aware of the risks and use free resources to become better prepared, even if they don't fall within the scope of the Act.

Do I need to pay for a Martyn's Law training course?

There is currently no requirement to pay for a training course for Martyn's Law.

There are however some free resources available, including the ACT Awareness and ACT in a Box training courses via ProtectUK. These are useful for businesses who would like to become more aware of the risks and start to plan how they would respond to an attack.

Does Martyn's Law apply to my business?

If your premises or event is accessible by the public, and there's a reasonable expectation that 200 or more people (including staff) may be present at the same time, then Martyn's Law applies to your business. This applies even if 200+ people will only be present occasionally.

If 800 or more people are expected to be present at once, then your organisation will fall under the enhanced tier.

Are small businesses exempt from Martyn's Law?

If the capacity at your premises or event is always under 200 people, then Martyn's Law won't apply to your business.

This means that there are no legal requirements for you to meet. But it's worth being aware that recent trends in terrorism have seen smaller venues and events targeted too, and you may still choose to take steps to keep the people in your premises safer.

To do this, you can make use of free resources via ProtectUK. The Home Office will also be releasing further guidane soon. While this is aimed at in-scope businesses, it will help organisations develop procedures for responding to attacks.

Where can I get training and support for Martyn's Law?

At the moment, we're waiting for more detailed guidance from the Home Office, which will help businesses understand their responsibilities and prepare to meet them.

Until this is released, we would encourage organisations to visit ProtectUK where there are additional resources and free training available.

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