A lockdown is one of the security options to consider in preparing for Martyn's Law and improving security measures at sites both public and private.
By restricting movement onto, off and around a site, lockdowns help to form part of the necessary procedures to reduce the risk of physical injury to the public, and as such they are a key consideration for premises affected by Martyn's Law.
What is a lockdown?
Lockdowns restrict access to a building or site, or part of a site, by locking access points. The aim of a lockdown is to restrict an attacker's movements, or to keep people in a safe area and stop them from moving into a dangerous situation. This is sometimes called a 'dynamic lockdown' because it must be able to be activated and lifted immediately if needed.
Martyn's Law, or the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, will come into effect in April 2027, and requires businesses and venues open to the public (of 200 people or more) to consider procedures and security measures to improve preparedness and defence against terrorist attacks. Lockdowns are one of the recommended security measures. You can read more about Martyn's Law here.
What does a lockdown do?
The key aspect of a lockdown is to restrict or stop movement through a site or building; therefore, it is vital to know where key access points are located and how they can be controlled. These may not just be doors — turnstiles, gates, and loading areas are all examples of other types of access points.
An important part of lockdown planning is to identify zones or sectors within the premises which can be locked down as necessary. This is to permit a controlled evacuation of people who are not directly in harm's way, or to keep an attacker contained in one sector.
To help with this, an effective lockdown procedure should include floor plans marked with evacuation routes and potential safe spaces.
How can a lockdown be implemented?
Lockdowns can be implemented by using access control measures on key access points throughout a site. Access control provides access through doors and other access points to those with the right credentials (PIN keypad, smart cards, fobs, fingerprints or face scans). Electronic locks on doors, turnstiles or gates will only open for approved people, but can also be configured to unlock from the inside in the case of a fire alarm, to permit safe evacuation.
Tensor's Access Control system is the ideal way assist with implementing lockdowns. It allows all networked doors to be controlled by clearly defined user roles from one point on site. Access points can be sealed simultaneously across either the whole premises or to specific zones. Doors can be remotely locked or unlocked as required to allow for safer evacuation or invacuation (where people move to a safe space within the site), or to give the police safer or more convenient entry.
Staff roles during a lockdown
Another essential aspect of planning a lockdown procedure is to assign roles to appropriate staff. Who is in charge of initiating a lockdown? Do they require authorisation from anyone else? Who then can lift lockdown? What should other staff do when a lockdown is activated?
With Tensor's Access Control system, users can easily be assigned specific access rights and administration roles using Tensor's secure and easy-to-use Access Control software, WinAC.NET. In this way it is easy to assign lockdown privileges to specific users and to notify other staff of who they are.
Specific actions of staff will vary depending on the type of site and whether the public are admitted. However, buildings open to the public require, under Martyn's Law, a public protection procedure in place. This details to staff the procedures to follow to reduce the risk of injury (to themselves and the public) in the event of an attack. It requires staff to be trained on what is expected of them if an attack occurs and should make clear that staying calm and listening to the police is key.
Alerting people to a lockdown
It is crucial to be able to effectively communicate that a lockdown has been activated to everyone on site, whether they be staff, visitors or the public.
A dedicated lockdown alarm could be advantageous; however, this should be clearly distinct from other alarms. Fire alarms should not be used, as this will usually lead to fire evacuation procedures being followed and could cause people to enter unsafe areas.
Other potential communication options include announcements over a PA system, which must be audible to everyone on site, or internal messages via email, text, phones, or computer popups.
It is also important to let people know when a lockdown has been lifted. If an invacuation has occurred this might use one of the methods above, however, in the event of an evacuation, or if people are split between multiple locations, including off site, consideration must be given to how they will all be alerted to the lifting of the lockdown.
Tensor's Access Control system makes it easy to see where staff last used access points, with accurate logs of access records. It can also supply a fire roll call to notify key staff of which employees are on-site, and where they are, delivered either via a traditional paper print-out or to smartphones on the Fire Roll Call app.
Part of staff lockdown awareness should also include communication. However, in addition to making sure staff know the means of being alerted to a lockdown it should include what staff themselves are expected to communicate (or not). In terrorist incidents, it is imperative that staff are able to correctly direct visitors or members of the public safely, but also that they do not inadvertently create a dangerous situation by communicating details via social media or to family and friends off-site.
External communication and the surrounding area
A lockdown intends to restrict access to and from a site, so it is important to let people outside the immediate location know that a lockdown is in place. Ascertain the best way to do this (either by PA system, screens, or personnel at the door) and ensure people are directed to a safe space away from the lockdown location.
This may require coordination with neighbouring businesses, particularly in shared spaces such as shopping centres. Depending on the circumstances, they may need to implement their own lockdown or evacuation procedures, so they will need to be made aware of changes in the situation in a timely manner.
Lockdowns are an important security procedure
Whether Martyn's Law applies to your business or not, having a lockdown procedure in place is recommended by the National Counter Terrorism Security Office to provide a safer and more secure environment and response to potential terror attacks.
Installing an access control system is the most convenient way to do this as it gives control over key access points throughout a site and enables lockdown processes to be put in place.
Tensor's Access Control system holds NACOSS Gold accreditation from the National Security Inspectorate, the most trusted independent certification body for security in the UK. This certification demonstrates that Tensor's Access Control system meets the highest industry standards, and that our service provides the utmost levels of integrity, technical expertise and professionalism.
When combined with CCTV and Time and Attendance systems, Tensor's integrated security solution delivers a comprehensive means to monitor your premises, quickly identify suspicious activity and secure a site against unwanted visitors.
