Martyn’s Law

New law to keep people safe will scale up preparedness for, and protection from, terrorist attacks….

Martyn’s Law, formally known as the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, is a landmark UK counter-terrorism law introduced in response to the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing. The law requires certain venues and organisations to implement safety measures to reduce both the risk and the impact of terrorist attacks. It is named in honour of Martyn Hett, one of the victims of the Manchester attack.

As the official legal services provider to the Association of Event Venues (AEV), and with many clients and contacts affected by Martyn’s Law, it’s a very interesting and important development for us and the businesses we work with. We are here to help.

Legal Status

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 received Royal Assent and came into force on 3 April 2025. The Act places a statutory duty on those falling within its scope to take appropriate action to reduce the risk of terrorism occurring and to mitigate the impact of a terrorist attack.

The Act is now legally binding across the whole of the United Kingdom. There is however a grace period for businesses affected to transition to full compliance with the new law.

Compliance Timeline

There is a two-year rollout period to allow organisations to comply with the Acts’ requirements. Organisations are encouraged to begin preparations immediately to ensure compliance before the deadline.

For a detailed summary of the act please read here.

Who Is Affected?

The Act applies to a broad range of qualifying publicly accessible venues and events. For a venue or event to ‘qualify’ under the Act, the public or a section of the public must have access to it. For venues, you must have a capacity of at least 200ps. For events, you must have a capacity of at least 800ps. The Act describes a number of additional factors which must also be present in order venues and events to qualify.

Types of venues and events which may qualify under the Act include:

entertainment venues; hospitality premises; retail spaces; educational institutions; healthcare facilities; places of worship; visitor attractions; temporary public events.

Key Legal Requirements

The Act introduces a two-tiered duty framework for qualifying venues based on venue capacity:

Standard Tier (200–799 capacity)

Implementing public protection procedures, such as:

  • • Evacuation
  • • Invacuation
  • • Lockdown
  • • Communication

Providing terrorism protection training to relevant workers

Notifying the regulator (Security Industry Authority)

Enhanced Tier (800+ capacity)

Implementing appropriate and reasonably practicable public protection measures, such as:

  • • Monitoring for suspicious activity
  • • Movement control within and around premises
  • • Physical security enhancements
  • • Information security measures

Appointing a Designated Senior Individual (DSI) responsible for compliance

Documenting and submitting a public protection plan to the SIA

How We Can Help

We offer tailored legal services to support your organisation in complying with Martyn’s Law, including:

  • Determining your legal obligations under the Act
  • Drafting and reviewing security policies
  • Preparing compliance strategies
  • Liaising with SIA

In addition we can support you by reviewing and revising (as necessary) your venue and event agreements and contracts, and making sure you are (a) compliant and (b) protected.

Contact Us

For further information on the Act and for personalised legal advice on Martyn’s Law (if and how you are impacted by it and what your compliance obligations look like), please get in touch

Tony Brook: tony@nqlegal.co.uk

Carol Thompson: carol@nqlegal.co.uk

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