Martyn's Law — the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 — is named for Martyn Hett, one of the 22 victims of the Manchester Arena attack, and it changes the legal landscape for every UK venue and event open to the public. The era of treating counter-terrorism as someone else's problem is over: preparedness is now a statutory duty.
The law creates two tiers. Standard tier covers premises with a capacity of 200–799: pubs, bars, restaurants, theatres, churches and community venues, which must register with the SIA (as regulator) and have basic preparedness procedures in place. Enhanced tier covers 800+ capacity venues and qualifying events, which must additionally implement and document proportionate security measures — from bag searches to CCTV to trained staff — and appoint a designated senior individual responsible for compliance.
For most standard-tier venues, compliance means four things: registering your premises, training staff to recognise and respond to threats, having a written evacuation and invacuation plan, and rehearsing it. None of this requires turning your bar into an airport — it requires the same discipline you already apply to fire safety.
Enhanced-tier venues need a documented risk assessment, physical measures proportionate to the threat, staff training records and monitoring procedures. This is where professional security partners earn their fee: search regimes, CCTV coverage reviews, hostile-reconnaissance awareness and response planning are exactly the disciplines good event security teams already run.
“Martyn's Law doesn't ask venues to become fortresses. It asks them to stop being unprepared.”
Three actions: check your venue's capacity tier, download the Home Office guidance and ACT Awareness training for your staff, and review your evacuation plan with fresh eyes. If you run events or an enhanced-tier venue, commission a professional vulnerability assessment — it is the foundation the rest of your compliance stands on.