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NEW MARTYN'S LAW GUIDANCE: WHAT VENUE OPERATORS NEED TO KNOW
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 Is Now Law — Here's What Changes for Your Business
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 Is Now Law — Here's What Changes for Your Business
Martyn Hett was 29 years old when he was killed in the Manchester Arena bombing on 22 May 2017. His death, along with 21 others, sparked a movement to prevent similar attacks. The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025—now commonly known as Martyn's Law—received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025, making it official law. Named in Martyn's memory, this legislation requires venues and public spaces in the UK to take active steps to protect against terrorism. It represents a significant shift in how UK venues must approach security, placing the responsibility directly on venue operators to implement practical, proportionate terrorism protection measures.
Martyn's Law isn't one-size-fits-all. It establishes two tiers based on venue capacity, because the risks and practicalities differ depending on the size of the premises.
Standard Tier (200–799 capacity): Venues in this category must implement four core pillars: evacuation routes and procedures, invacuation measures (bringing people in safely), lockdown procedures, and communication plans. Think of a 300-capacity restaurant, a mid-sized retail shop, or a small entertainment venue. These businesses need clear evacuation planning, trained staff, and reliable communication systems. The standard tier focuses on practical day-to-day measures that any venue can reasonably implement.
Enhanced Tier (800+ capacity): Larger venues must do everything the Standard Tier requires, plus significantly more. This includes formal risk assessments, CCTV systems, bag and vehicle screening, perimeter security, access control measures, and designation of a senior individual accountable for compliance. A 2,000-seat theatre, a large hotel complex, a major retail destination, or a sports venue would fall into this category. Events expected to draw 800 or more attendees must also meet Enhanced Tier requirements, even if the venue itself is smaller.
The proportionate risk-based approach recognises that bigger venues with larger crowds face greater risks and have more resources available to implement comprehensive security measures.
For Standard Tier venues, compliance means establishing and documenting four things: clear evacuation routes marked and regularly checked, invacuation procedures for secure shelter-in-place, lockdown protocols that can be activated quickly, and communication systems (including staff alerts). None of this requires you to become a security consultant. Good signage, regular drills with your team, working alarms, and a simple communication plan go a long way. The emphasis is on being reasonably prepared.
For Enhanced Tier venues, the requirements are more comprehensive but still follow a "reasonably practicable" principle. A formal risk assessment identifies your specific vulnerabilities—it doesn't need to be elaborate, but it should be documented. CCTV is mandatory for Enhanced Tier, both as a deterrent and a tool for investigation. Screening at entry points and perimeter controls are expected. Access control ensures only authorised people enter restricted areas. Finally, you need a named senior person responsible for ensuring compliance—this creates clear accountability.
The good news: the government explicitly states that venues should not feel pressured to hire expensive specialist security consultants. Your existing team, with some planning and training, can deliver compliance.
Martyn's Law received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025. The legislation provides an implementation period of at least 24 months. This means venues have until approximately April 2027 before enforcement begins in earnest. That's still time, but the window is narrowing. Now is the right moment to review your venue's current arrangements, identify gaps, and plan upgrades methodically. Don't wait until enforcement notices start arriving—proactive compliance is far simpler than reactive scrambling.
The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is responsible for enforcement. They will have powers to issue compliance notices requiring venues to address shortfalls. If a venue fails to comply with a notice, the SIA can issue monetary penalties and restriction notices, which can effectively prevent a venue from operating. This underlines the seriousness of compliance. The SIA's role is not to be punitive but to ensure public safety—venues that are genuinely working toward compliance and engaging with authorities will be treated fairly.
Enhanced Tier compliance explicitly requires CCTV. Many venues are recognising that modern CCTV alone is insufficient—the real value lies in analytics and intelligence extraction from the footage. This is where surveillance technology has evolved dramatically. Beyond recording events, venues now have the capability to analyse footage in ways that support both prevention and investigation.
Facial recognition, when deployed responsibly and legally, is a natural evolution of this capability. For Enhanced Tier venues subject to serious risk, facial recognition can identify banned or flagged individuals before they enter, alert staff to known threats, and streamline post-incident investigations. For Standard Tier venues, the primary focus remains on fundamental procedures and training, though technology can support those goals too.
Forward-thinking venues are pairing compliance requirements with intelligent security solutions. This is an opportunity to strengthen both compliance posture and actual security outcomes. FaiceTech's solutions, including FaiceAlert and FaiceMatch, help venues meet these elevated requirements while respecting privacy and operating within the law.
Martyn's Law is law, and enforcement will begin within 24 months. The question for every venue operator is not "Do we need to comply?" but "How do we comply smart?" Start now: audit your current arrangements against the relevant tier, engage your team, document your plans, and invest in the technology and training that will protect your guests and staff. Compliance isn't a burden when you approach it methodically. It's a commitment to saying that security, and the people in your venue, matter. That's the legacy Martyn's Law stands for.