What is Martyn's Law and does it affect me?

Martyn's Law, otherwise known as the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, aims to strengthen security at public premises and events and help keep people safe in the event of a terrorist attack.

Its name is a tribute to Martyn Hett, one of the 22 victims of the Manchester Arena terrorist attack in 2017, and to his mother Figen Murray, whose campaigning played a vital role in ensuring the legislation was introduced.

This blog aims to answer some key questions you might have:

What is Martyn's Law?

When does Martyn's Law come into effect?

Does Martyn's Law apply to my premises?

Does Martyn's Law apply to my event?

Who is responsible for implementing Martyn's Law?

What does Martyn's law require me to do?

Who checks if I am following Martyn's Law?

How can Tensor help me with Martyn's Law?

What is Martyn's Law?

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 aims to improve preparedness and security measures at venues and events across the UK, specifically in relation to potential terrorist attacks.

It places the responsibility of preparedness and public safety onto the venue or event (specifically the responsible person at that venue or event) to ensure they consider the procedures necessary to reduce the risk of physical injury to the public if an act of terrorism occurs. Larger locations and events are also required to assess their vulnerabilities and liabilities to terrorist acts and take appropriate actions to reduce these.

When does Martyn's Law come into effect?

Following a period of consultations, drafts and revisions to the proposed Bill, the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 was given Royal Assent on 3 April 2025. The implementation period for the Act is at least 24 months from that date to allow preparations to be made by those covered by it to ensure compliance. Assuming the timeline remains unchanged, Martyn's Law will come into effect in April 2027.

Does Martyn's Law apply to my premises?

Martyn's Law applies to all buildings in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to which members of the public have access, with a total number of 200 or more people on site or in attendance (ticketed, open, with a pass or otherwise).

The full, detailed list of buildings, premises and venues covered by the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 is available on legislation.gov.uk, but includes:

  • Shops (the sale of goods or the display of goods for sale)
  • Restaurants (used for the sale of food and drink for consumption on the premises)
  • Entertainment, leisure and recreation activities (including cinemas, theatres and clubs)
  • Places of worship

  • Sports grounds (including gyms, golf clubs and arenas)
  • Bus and railway stations (and other transport hubs)
  • Airports and aerodromes
  • Childcare
  • Education (primary, secondary, further and higher)
  • Public authorities

  • Libraries, museums, galleries and public archives
  • Exhibition and conference halls (and other halls used for hosting events)
  • Visitor attractions
  • Hotels, hostels and holiday parks
  • Hospitals and other health care (including dentists)

Martyn's Law does not apply to

  • Parliament buildings
  • Parks and gardens
  • Transport security
  • Premises to which the public does not have access (such as private offices, warehouses or factories)
  • Property belonging to and occupied by the Crown

Martyn's Law can also apply to a building with grounds attached which meets the conditions of the Act.

Tiers

In addition, the Act is split into two tiers dependent upon the number of people normally expected to be on the premises, with additional measures required for premises in the Enhanced Tier:

Standard Tier: 200-799 people

Enhanced Tier: for 800 or more people

However, there are exceptions to the Enhanced Tier: places of worship, childcare, and primary, secondary and further education remain under the Standard Tier even if they have over 200 people. For educational institutions, this is partly because they will likely already have existing safety and safeguarding procedures in place. Note that this exemption does not include places of higher education, which tend to be more accessible to the public.

Does Martyn's Law apply to my event?

An event will qualify under the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 if it:

  • is expected that 800 or more people will be in attendance at the same time
  • takes place at a location that falls under one of the qualifying premises, but is not in the Enhanced Tier (as the requirements should already have been met)
  • is accessible to the public
  • has entry conditions in place (tickets, registration, membership or other means of checking who is accessing the event). This also means a defined and secure perimeter needs to be in place.

Who is responsible for implementing Martyn's Law?

All premises and events which fall under the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 must have a 'responsible person' who will make sure that the requirements are all met.

This 'responsible person' is the "individual, organisation or company that has control over the qualifying premises"*, in a similar way to fire safety or health and safety. Responsibility cannot be passed on to another individual or organisation. The responsible person does not have to be the owner of the premises, only that they have control of it and can make decisions regarding its management and use, including who is allowed on-site.

For Enhanced Tier premises and events, there must be a specific individual in a senior position designated the responsible person, who is allowed to delegate tasks to other people but still remain the responsible person. If a premises is hired out, the responsible person remains the same, but should consider providing procedures and details to anyone hiring the premises.

What does Martyn's law require me to do?

All premises that fall under the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 must notify the Security Industry Authority, and must also have appropriate "reasonably practicable"* public protection procedures in place which should reduce the risk of physical harm being caused in the event of a terrorist attack on the premises, at the event, or nearby.

Public protection procedures should be a plan that staff can follow to reduce the risk of injury in the event of an act of terrorism. If no staff are on site, it must be considered how people on the premises could follow the procedures (for example, posters). Considerations and procedures must also take into account the immediate vicinity of the premises.

There are four types of public protection procedures:

Evacuation — move people away from danger by leaving the premises or event

Invacuation — move people away from danger by moving to a safer part of the premises or event

Lockdown — secure the premises or event to prevent people from entering or leaving

Communication — provide information to people at the premises or event

'Appropriate measures' means taking account of the size and type of premises and what actions and resources are available; there is no requirement to make any physical changes to the premises or buy new equipment, unless it is reasonably practicable to do so.

It is considered good practice (but not a requirement) that staff are aware of different types of terrorist attack, however it is more important to identify the immediate threat and the related necessary actions.

Enhanced Tier requirements

Premises that fall within the advanced tier of Martyn's Law (ie. those that will have 800 or more people in attendance at the same time) must also implement extra procedures in addition to those mentioned above:

  • Document the procedures and measures that are in place
  • Designate a senior responsible person (rather than a group or company) who is responsible for ensuring compliance
  • Implement public protection measures relating to:

- Monitoring the premises or event to identify potential suspicious activity

- Restrict movement into, out of and within the premises

- Strengthen the physical safety and security of the premises or event to deter and reduce the impact of terror attacks

- Keep information about the premises or event secure and ensure it is not widely available

Who checks if I am following Martyn's Law?

The Security Industry Authority can conduct inspections to check that premises and events are complying with the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025.

This will usually involve an inspector providing at least 72 hours' notice in writing to the premises they believe should qualify for Martyn's Law; in some circumstances they can request a warrant to enter without notice. The inspector can examine the premises or event, activities taking place, on-site documents and take measurements and recordings. They can also bring other people to help with specific aspects of the inspection, and ask anyone on-site to help.

If a premises or event is found to be non-compliant, they can be issued with:

  • A compliance notice — to ensure a particular requirement is met within a specified time
  • A restriction notice — if an Enhanced Tier premises or event is found to be non-compliant, they can be restricted from certain actions
  • A penalty notice — a financial penalty of
  • Up to £5,000 for any notice that requires them to attend an interview
  • Up to £10,000 for any other non-compliance for Standard Tier premises
  • Up to £18 million "or 5% of the person's qualifying worldwide revenue for the most recent accounting period (whichever is higher)."*
  • A daily penalty can also be issued for contravention of a notice should the initial penalty notice not be paid on time. For Standard Tier premises this is a maximum of £500 per day; for Enhanced Tier premises and events it is up to £50,000 per day.

In addition, there are a number of new criminal offense that have been introduced relating to Martyn's Law.

How can Tensor help me with Martyn's Law?

Tensor can help you to comply with Martyn's Law thanks to our comprehensive suite of integrated security, access control and visitor monitoring systems, applicable to all types and size of business.

Tensor's systems would greatly benefit premises within the Enhanced Tier of Martyn's Law as they would enable the following aspects of the Act:

  • monitor the premises or event
  • restrict movement into, out of and within the premises
  • strengthen the security of the premises or event to deter and reduce the impact of terror attacks

Tensor's access control and time and attendance solutions are modular, will adapt easily to your specific security environment, and can seamlessly integrate with our time and attendance system.

Accurately log when staff and registered visitors enter the premises, restrict access to certain parts of your site, and record access logs for accurate documentation of which staff have accessed which areas of the site and when. Doors can be monitored to make sure they are not left open, and alarms can alert users if a door is forced open or the access control system is damaged.

Using biometric identification in addition to or instead of smart cards or key fobs can further strengthen your security as it reduces the risk of a stolen card being used to gain unauthorised entry.

Tensor also proves external barriers, gates and turnstiles which fully integrate with our smart card and biometric access control systems, giving you full control over who is allowed access through any controlled point at any time of the day.

In the event of an emergency, our access control systems also integrate with emergency exit buttons and break glass release units, to ensure that employees and visitors are able to evacuate. Tensor's Fire Roll Call app can also provide a report of personnel and registered visitors on-site, broken down into zones as required.

Combining access control with CCTV networks and video surveillance can provide an even greater degree of security. Tensor can also integrate CCTV with other systems, such as automatic number plate recognition and facial recognition, ensuring you can be alerted to vehicles and people on your property, and be alerted should any blacklisted person attempt to gain entry. You can also view past footage and any associated with access events, ensuring it can be used as a record of activity on the premises.

To find out more about how Tensor can help you to prepare for Martyn's Law, discuss your individual requirements with one of our experts.

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