Martyn's Law explained

If you run a venue, manage a public space or organise events, you have probably heard people talking about Martyn’s Law. This guide explains what it is, who it affects and — most importantly — what you practically need to do, in plain English.

This is general information, not legal advice. The duties are being introduced with an implementation period, and the detail sits in official statutory guidance. Always check the current guidance for the exact thresholds, timings and requirements that apply to you.

What is Martyn’s Law?

Martyn’s Law is the common name for the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act. Its purpose is straightforward: to make sure that those responsible for public venues and events have thought about the risk of a terrorist attack and taken sensible, proportionate steps to reduce that risk and protect people.

The law is named after Martyn Hett, one of the 22 people murdered in the Manchester Arena attack in May 2017. His mother, Figen Murray, campaigned for years to ensure that public places take preparedness seriously rather than leaving it to chance. The result is a legal duty — sometimes still referred to by its earlier working name, the Protect Duty — that asks organisations to plan ahead instead of hoping it never happens to them.

Crucially, Martyn’s Law is not about turning every village hall into a fortress. It is about reasonable, proportionate preparedness, scaled to the size and nature of what you do.

The two tiers

Martyn’s Law works on a tiered basis, so the requirements match the scale of the premises or event. There are two tiers, set by how many people may reasonably be expected to be present.

Standard tier (200+ people)

The standard tier applies to qualifying premises and events that can reasonably be expected to host 200 or more people. The focus here is light-touch and procedural. You are expected to put in place simple, low-cost measures that could reduce harm if an attack happened in or near your premises — things like knowing how you would evacuate, move people to safety, lock down and communicate quickly.

There is no expectation of expensive equipment at this tier. It is about awareness, planning and having your people ready.

Enhanced tier (800+ people)

The enhanced tier applies to larger qualifying premises and events reasonably expected to host 800 or more people. On top of the standard expectations, the enhanced tier carries additional documented requirements, typically including:

• A terrorism risk assessment for the premises or event.
• A security plan setting out the measures you will put in place.
• A named responsible person accountable for compliance.

The bigger the crowd, the more structured and documented your preparedness needs to be.

Thresholds and scope can be nuanced, so confirm which tier you fall into using the current statutory guidance rather than assuming. Our Martyn’s Law readiness check can help you get a quick sense of where you stand.

Who will regulate it?

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) — the body that already licenses door supervisors and security guards — is expected to act as the regulator for Martyn’s Law. The intended role is a supportive one: helping organisations understand and meet the duty, as well as overseeing compliance. Because an implementation and transition period applies, the duties are not all in force overnight, which gives organisations time to prepare. Check the latest official sources for current timing.

What the duties mean in practice

Stripped back, Martyn’s Law asks you to do a handful of sensible things well. Here is what that looks like on the ground.

Nominate a responsible person

Someone needs to own this. For smaller premises that may simply be the manager or organiser; for enhanced-tier events it is a formally named responsible person. Either way, accountability should be clear rather than assumed.

Assess the terrorism risk

Think honestly about your premises or event: how people arrive and leave, where queues form, where crowds gather, and what could happen in and around the site. You do not need to be a counter-terrorism expert to make a start — our event risk assessment generator helps you structure your thinking and produce a written record.

Train your staff

Awareness is one of the cheapest and most effective measures available. Free national resources such as ACT (Action Counters Terrorism) awareness training and the Run, Hide, Tell principles give your team a shared understanding of what to watch for and how to react. Well-briefed staff who know their roles are the backbone of any good plan.

Plan evacuation and invacuation (lockdown)

Most people know what evacuation means. Invacuation — moving people to safety inside, or locking down — matters just as much, because the safest place is not always outside. Know your routes, your safe areas and who gives the instruction, and make sure staff can act quickly under pressure.

Communicate clearly

In an incident, clear and fast communication saves lives. Decide in advance how you will alert staff, instruct the public and contact the emergency services, and make sure those channels actually work on the day. For larger events, this links closely to good crowd management, where flow, signage and stewarding all feed into how safely you can move people.

Keep it proportionate

The recurring theme is proportionality. The duty is designed so that the great majority of measures are procedural and low-cost rather than capital-heavy. A small community event and a major arena are not held to the same standard — the requirements scale with the risk and the numbers.

Getting ready without overcomplicating it

You do not need to solve everything at once. A sensible starting point is to confirm which tier you fall into, nominate who is responsible, complete a basic terrorism risk assessment, brief your staff using free ACT and Run, Hide, Tell resources, and write down your evacuation, lockdown and communication plans. For enhanced-tier events, formalise that into a documented security plan.

If you run conferences, exhibitions or large corporate gatherings, this dovetails neatly with professional corporate event security and crowd management, where experienced, SIA-licensed officers can help you turn a plan on paper into something that works on the day.

Where Shoreditch Security can help

Martyn’s Law is not about box-ticking — it is about being genuinely ready. As an SIA-licensed provider working across London and the Home Counties, we can help you assess your risk, shape a proportionate plan, brief your team and provide trained officers who understand counter-terrorism preparedness as part of everyday event security.

Start with our Martyn’s Law readiness check to gauge where you stand, build a written assessment with the event risk assessment generator, and when you are ready for hands-on support, get a quote — we will reply with clear, practical advice, usually within a few hours.