Martyn’s Law Receives Royal Assent
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, also know as Martyn’s Law received Royal Assent on Thursday 3 April.
The Government will apply an implementation period of at least 24 months before the Act comes into force. This period will enable those responsible for premises and events to have sufficient time to understand their new obligations, and to plan and prepare accordingly.
What is the Act about?
The Act sets out that the procedures and measures that must be put in place by organisation’s for their premises or event should be determined by what is appropriate and reasonably practicable for their individual circumstances. Duty holders should take into account the nature of the premises or event, their activities, and resources when determining what to take forward. The particular procedures or measures in place at one location may not be appropriate and reasonably practicable at another.
The new Act will ensure the public are better protected from terrorism by requiring certain public premises and events (in scope) to be prepared and ready to keep people safe in the event of an attack.
Certain larger premises will be required to consider and, where appropriate, take steps to reduce their vulnerability to acts of terrorism.
A tiered approach is established under the new Act, with those responsible for premises and events in scope required to fulfil different requirements according to the number of individuals it is reasonable to expect may be present. Smaller premises where 200-799 individuals may be present will be in the ‘standard tier.’ The requirements in this tier are centered on simple, low-cost activities designed to ensure those working at premises or events are better able to reduce harm, and save lives, in the event of an attack.
These could be as simple as locking doors, closing shutters and identifying safe routes to cover. There is no requirement to put in place physical measures in the standard tier.
Larger premises – and qualifying public events – where 800 or more individuals may be present will be in the ‘enhanced tier.’
In addition to the requirements for the standard tier, these larger premises and events will have further requirements placed upon them. This includes having in place, so far as is reasonably practicable, appropriate public protection measures to reduce their vulnerability to acts of terrorism and the risk of physical harm if one were to occur.
What is in Scope and What Are Qualifying Premises or Events
Here's a breakdown of what's in scope (qualifying premises and events):
Premises
Premises that satisfy the following four criteria fall within scope of the Act:
(a) There is at least one building (or the premises are in a building);
(b) The premises are wholly or mainly used for one or more of the uses specified at Schedule 1 to the Act, e.g. a restaurant or a shop;
(c) It is reasonable to expect that at least 200 individuals may be present at least occasionally; and
(d) The premises are not excluded under Schedule 2 to the Act
If 800 or more individuals may be expected, the premises will be enhanced duty premises unless the Act says otherwise.
An important criterion for a Premises (but not Event) in scope of the Bill is that it is “wholly or mainly” used for one or more Schedule 1 uses. These uses include:
Retail shops
Premises for sale of food and drink for consumption on site (e.g. restaurants & bars)
Nightclub, social club or dance hall
Entertainment venue (e.g. a theatre, cinema, sports, music)
Sports ground, recreation, exercise or leisure centres
Libraries, museums and galleries
Exhibition halls and conference centres
Visitor attractions (of historic, touristic or educational value)
Halls, hotels, hostels and holiday parks
Places of worship
Hospitals/health centres
Bus/coach & railway stations
Schools, colleges & universities
Public authority buildings (e.g. town halls).
Example 1: A 1,200-capacity theatre may take forward the following activities in relation to implementing their public protection procedures and measures:
Developing and implementing plans for public protection procedures and ensuring that they are routinely rehearsed.
Ensuring that induction and probation periods for new staff include awareness training packages for all those working at the theatre in roles relating to safety, security and counter-terrorism.
Developing policies for perimeter and entry checks as well as queue management and ticket checks.
Using internal radio systems and mobiles for communication between relevant individuals working at the theatre.
Introducing interim tabletop activities and walk-through scenarios that are designed and led by designated individuals.
Employing a mixture of salaried and contracted door staff to sufficiently protect ingress and egress areas.
Developing policies for suspicious or restricted items including bag checks and storage.
Having effective CCTV with an adequately staffed monitoring and control room.
Qualifying Events:
An event is a qualifying event if it satisfies all these criteria:
(a) the premises where the event is to be held consists of a building (including part of a building or a group of buildings), other land (such as a field, park, or farmland) or a combination of a building and other land;
(b) the premises at which the event is to be held are not enhanced duty premises and do not form part of enhanced duty premises (such events are excluded as the premises will already be subject to the enhanced duty requirements);
(c) members of the public will have access to all or part of the premises for the purpose of attending the event;
(d) it is reasonable to expect that at some point during the event 800 or more individuals may be present at the event at the same time;
(e) the event is not excluded by virtue of a provision of Schedule 2 to the Bill; and
(f) individuals will be employed or otherwise engaged to control access to the event. Specifically, this will involve checking tickets or passes (whether paid for or free) or taking payment.
Example of Qualifying Events
Example 1: A music event that takes place in a park or field. The event is open to the public and will have over 800 individuals attending. Attendees must purchase a ticket in advance of the event, and staff will be checking that attendees have a ticket before they enter the event.
Example 2: An event that takes place in a premises that is not usually open to the public, and the premises therefore do not fall within the Bill’s scope. However, the event is open to the public and will have over 800 individuals attending. The event is free; however, attendees must register online to attend the event. Staff or volunteers will be checking that attendees have registered before they enter the event.
Example 3: An event that takes place at premises which falls within the standard tier, and the premises are not used as a place of worship, or for childcare, primary, secondary, or further education. The premises host an event on the weekend which is open to the public and will have over 800 individuals attending. Attendees must purchase a ticket in advance of the event, and staff will be checking that attendees have a ticket before they enter the event.