The Manchester Arena Attack in 2017 killed 22 people, and injured hundreds more. One of those personally affected was Figen Murray OBE, who lost her son Martyn in the attack. Since then, she has led a campaign for legislation to compel venues, event organisers, and those responsible for publicly accessible locations (PALs) to understand and mitigate the risk and consequences of terror attacks. The proposed legislation is commonly referred to as Martyn’s Law.
What does Martyn’s Law mean for your event or location?
Martyn’s Law is not currently legislation. The draft bill has been published as the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill and there has been a consultation for feedback on the draft, but we do not know yet when it will become law, or if the draft bill will be carried forward in its current form.
This means that you are not currently legally obligated to comply with the proposed requirements of Martyn’s Law. However, many believe that venues, event organisers and those responsible for PALs have a moral obligation to consider the proposed legislation as guidance.
In the current draft Martyn’s Law bill, there are two proposed categories:
- Applies to locations and events with a capacity of 100 – 799
- Requires appropriate training for key personnel
- Stipulates a need for understanding risk and having a plan in place to respond to a terrorist attack
- Applies to locations and events with a capacity of 800 or more
- Requires a senior person to be designated with responsibility for counter terrorism risk assessment and planning
- Requires a risk assessment, which should be regularly reviewed
- Requires that ‘reasonably practicable’ actions should be taken to reduce risk
- Requires a security plan, which must be regularly reviewed and provided to the relevant regulator
Our services to help you get ready for Martyn’s Law
At SAFECROWDS, we are already working with venues, stadiums and event organisers to help them understand their risk and take steps to protect their people and premises against terror attacks. Whether you want to get ready for Martyn’s Law or just want to do the right thing to keep people safer, we can help.
Our services include:
- Threat, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment (TVRA)
- Vehicle Dynamics Assessment (VDA)
- Evacuation and lockdown planning
- Scenario planning and specialist event consultancy
- HVM specification
- HVM installation
- First Aid training
- RAPAID emergency bandage kits
Frequently asked questions about Martyn’s Law
Do I have to comply with Martyn’s Law?
Martyn’s Law is not currently legislation so you do not have to comply with the draft Martyn’s Law bill. However, this may change once Martyn’s Law becomes legislation.
When will Martyn’s Law become legislation?
No timetable has been set to introduce the legislation. The draft Martyn’s Law bill will need to be heard in parliament and passed by both the House of Commons and the House of Lords before it becomes law.
Will it be expensive to comply with Martyn’s Law?
As the draft bill stands, for those in the ‘Standard Duty’ category, there will be minimal costs other than time to train and carry out risk assessments. Both ACT training (Action Counters Terrorism) and risk assessment templates can be accessed for free from Protect UK. If you fall into the ‘Enhanced Duty’ category, the measures you take to mitigate the risk of terror attacks will depend on your TVRA and VDA. We can work with you to help you mitigate risk while taking into account your commercial and operational needs.
