Martyn’s Law: An overview for security companies

Martyn’s law, also known as ‘The Protect Duty’ is a bill proposed by the mother of Martyn Hett, one of the 22 victims of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing.

If passed, Martyn’s Law will play a crucial role in implementing the UK’s wider Counter Terrorism

Strategy.

It is designed to enhance protective security and organisational preparedness across the UK within venues and security organisations. It requires that those responsible for certain facilities and events must assess the terrorist risk and formulate a response plan in case of an attack

This legislation seeks to ensure a higher standard of safety and preparedness in public spaces that may be targeted by a terrorist attack. It means that venues, security officers and security organisations are more prepared for terrorist attacks to reduce their impact.

Venues will be tiered by capacity mandating certain requirements depending on the tier they fall into. Premises and events that can accommodate 800 or more people will fall into the enhanced tier requiring a detailed risk assessment, security planning and additional staff training. those with a capacity of 100 to 799 people will be categorised in the standard tier and required to submit a templated Emergency Action Plan. Venues with a capacity of under 100 will not be affected.

What will the impact be within the Security Industry?

Requirements under the bill are not designed to be costly to the venues or security and facilities management industry. Sanctions for non-compliance will range from a fine or permanent closure of the location to prosecution.

The exact timescale for implementation of the bill is unknown, but it is expected to be passed in 2024. Since the Arena attack in 2017, there have been 14 terrorism-related attacks in the UK, underscoring the critical importance of this bill and the necessity of its passing. The threat of terrorism is complex with terrorists targeting a wide range of locations. For further guidance, ProtectUK is a central resource for trusted guidance, advice, learning and engagement with experts in security and Counter Terrorism.

The 5 key points:

To engage with freely available counter terrorism advice and training.

To conduct risk assessments of a venue to identify vulnerabilities.

To put in place measures to mitigate the vulnerabilities found in the risk assessment.

To develop a counter-terrorism action plan recognising the identified vulnerabilities and

make sure staff know what to do in the event of an attack

For Local Authorities to be prepared from an act of terrorism and to work with venues to reduce

the impact of risk for any venues.

Links to additional Guidance:

https://www.protectuk.police.uk/guidance

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/martyns-law-standard-tier-consultation

https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/2022/12/19/martyns-law-factsheet/

https://www.protectuk.police.uk/martyns-law/good-security-practice

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