Martyn’s Law is proposed UK legislation aimed at improving security at public venues and events. Named after Martyn Hett, a victim of the 2017 Manchester Arena attack, this law will require venues and event organisers to put in place measures to protect the public from terrorist attacks.
Why it matters?
As an events professional, understanding Martyn’s Law is crucial. It will impact how we approach security at our venues and events. This page provides key information to help you prepare for these upcoming changes. Discover how Martyn’s Law:
- Improves safety for event attendees and staff
- Affects how venues and organisers plan and run events
- May require changes to your current security practices
Facts
- There have been 14 UK terror attacks since 2017
- 39 late-stage plots foiled
- 3 attacks on or near places of worship since 2005
- £3.4 billion indirect cost of 2017 UK terror attacks
- Security is often neglected unless required by law
- 70% of people in a 2021 public consultation supported mandatory public space protection measures
Key points of Martyn's Law
Two tier approach to Martyn's Law
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This will apply to premises with a capacity between 100 and 799 people. The Government wants to ensure businesses and venues can deliver the standard tier duty rather than imposing conditions upon them that they will struggle to meet.
This will mean the law stands the test of time, and be accessible, proportionate and deliverable for smaller venues.
Ahead of introducing the Bill in Parliament, Government will launch a consultation on the standard tier to ensure the Bill’s measures strike the right balance between public protection and avoiding undue burdens on smaller premises such as village halls, churches and other community venues. This follows concerns raised about the implications of the standard tier through the pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Bill earlier this year
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Premises and events in the enhanced tier will be required to take steps to ensure preparedness for, and protection from, terrorist attacks.
Those responsible for an enhanced duty premises or qualifying public events must take the following 4 steps:
- Notify the regulator of their premise or event;
- Take ‘reasonably practicable’ measures that will reduce the risk of a terrorist attack occurring or physical harm being caused. The reasonably practicable test is utilised in other regulatory regimes e.g. Health and Safety, and will enable organisations to tailor their approach to the nature of the premises, and their activities and resources;
- Keep and maintain a security document, aided by an assessment of the terrorism risk, which must also be provided to the regulator; and
- If the responsible person is a body corporate, they must appoint an individual as the designated senior individual for the premise or event.
If enhanced duty premises and qualifying public events do not comply with these requirements, the regulator will be able to issue a maximum fixed penalty of the higher of £18 million or 5 per cent of worldwide revenue.
How to prepare
Don't wait for the law to pass, prepare now!
- Be alert to suspicious behaviour and activity in and around your site (loitering, unusual questions, filming, etc)
- Assess the vulnerabilities of your site and take suitable measures to mitigate the risks
- Secure your communications, especially online
- Foster a workplace security culture
- Plan your incident response, inside, outside, or near your building or site
For more info on the ACT programme, visit the ACT website.
