Are you ready for Martyn’s Law?
The Terrorism Protection of Premises Bill, more commonly known as Martyn’s Law, has received Royal Assent and has officially become law, which will require hospitality venues to impose stricter security measures.
The Government intends for there to be an implementation period of at least 24 months before the Act comes into force. This period will enable those responsible for premises and events to have sufficient time to understand their new obligations, and to plan and prepare accordingly.
The law sets out requirements in a tiered manner based on the size of a public venue, with "necessary but proportionate" security measures.
Venues with a capacity of more than 800 people must take steps to protect against the threat of terrorism, like bag-search policies and CCTV.
Smaller public premises where capacity is 200 or fewer are required to have plans in place in the event of an attack.
Now that Martyn’s Law has been passed, it will enforce vital security measures across hospitality venues.
What will Martyn’s Law do?
Martyn’s Law will keep people safe, enhancing national security and reducing the risk to the public from terrorism by the protection of public venues.
It will place a requirement on those responsible for certain locations to consider the threat from terrorism and implement appropriate and proportionate mitigation measures.
The legislation will ensure parties are prepared, ready to respond and know what to do in the event of an attack. Better protection will be delivered through enhanced security systems, staff training, and clearer processes.
Who will be in scope?
Premises will fall within the scope of the duty where “qualifying activities” take place.
This will include locations for purposes such as entertainment and leisure, retail, food and drink, museums and galleries, sports grounds, public areas of local and central government buildings (e.g. town halls), visitor attractions, temporary events, places of worship, health and education.
It is proposed that the duty will apply to eligible premises which are either:
a building (including collections of buildings used for the same purposes, e.g. a campus);
or a location/event (including a temporary event) that has a defined boundary, allowing capacity to be known.
Eligible locations whose maximum occupancy meets the above specified thresholds will then be drawn into the relevant tier. Therefore, premises will be drawn into the scope of the duty if they meet the following three tests:
That the premises is an eligible one – i.e., building or event with a defined boundary.
That a qualifying activity takes place at the location; and
That the maximum occupancy of the premises meets a specified threshold – either 100+ or 800+
How will it work?
The Bill will impose a duty on the owners and operators of certain locations to increase their preparedness for and protection from a terrorist attack by requiring them to take proportionate steps, depending on the size and nature of the activities that take place there.
Proportionality is a fundamental consideration for this legislation. It will therefore establish a tiered model, linked to the activity that takes place at a location and its capacity: #
Martyn’s Law introduces two tiers of compliance for venues:
Standard Tier: Applies to venues with a capacity of 100 to 799 people. These venues must have basic security measures, including staff training on how to respond to a terrorist incident.
Enhanced Tier: Applies to venues with a capacity of 800 or more. These venues will be required to conduct detailed risk assessments, implement emergency response plans, and maintain stricter security measures.
How can operators prepare for the introduction of Martyn’s Law?
Although no date has yet been set for the introduction of the legislation, we strongly advise that operators educate themselves on the Bill as soon as possible. You could also consider the following actions:
Ensure all staff complete ACT (Action Counters Terrorism) training.
Practice evacuation drills and establish safe rooms equipped with bottled water, food, a bucket with a screen, and toilet paper in case of prolonged lockdown situations.
Train staff in basic first-aid and life-saving skills, including using a tourniquet, bandages, and stopping catastrophic bleeding. Access to PACT (Public Access Trauma) kits can be life-saving.
Strengthening security measures now will help the industry adapt seamlessly to the new regulations and ensure stronger public protection moving forward.
To find out more, please visit:
The counter terrorism pages on GOV.UK website
Review training and resources available from the Protect UK website.