Martyn’s Law: Counter-terror rules to be introduced next Spring for UK venues

Martyn’s Law, more officially known as the Protect Duty legislation, is to be introduced next year to ensure better protection against the evolving threat of terrorism in public places.

The new rules are named in memory of Martyn Hett, one of the 22 people killed in the terrorist attack at the end of the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester on 22^nd May 2017.

Since the attack, Martyn’s mother, Figen Murray, has worked closely with security partners, businesses, and victim groups, to campaign for stronger protections against terrorism in public places.

Martyn’s Law will apply to owners and operators of publicly accessible locations across the UK. Publicly accessible locations include any place that members of the public have access to, whether by payment or otherwise, such as pubs, clubs, and bars.

The new legislation will also follow a tiered model linked to the capacity of a location and the activity due to take place, as recent terrorist attacks demonstrate that terrorists may choose to target a broad range of public locations.

The two tiers include a standard tier which will apply to locations with a maximum capacity of over 100 people, and an enhanced tier that will focus on high-capacity locations that can hold 800 people or more.

Standard tier locations will be required to adopt measures such as training, information sharing and completing a preparedness plan to embed practices, such as locking doors to delay an attacker’s progress or building knowledge of lifesaving treatments so that they can be administered by staff whilst waiting for emergency services.

Enhanced tier locations are also to adopt standard tier requirements as well as having an obligation to undertake a risk assessment so that they can develop and implement a thorough security plan. Subsequent measures may also include developing a culture of vigilance and security, as well as putting in place physical measures, such as installing CCTV or new systems and processes to enable better consideration of security.

The Government will further establish an inspection and enforcement regime and will issue sanctions for serious breaches to promote compliance.

To ensure Martyn’s Law stands the test of time, the draft legislation is due to be published in early Spring next year. If you require any advice as to how your business can prepare for the new rules, please contact our specialist Leisure Department on 0161 832 3434.