Martyn’s Law explained: What you need to know

Posted 4 hours ago

In April 2025, Martyn’s Law, officially known as The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, received Royal Assent. The legislation pays tribute to Martyn Hett who was tragically killed alongside 21 others in the Manchester Arena attack in May 2017. In light of this tragic event, Martyn’s Law reshapes the approach towards public safety in the UK, aiming to enhance protective security and preparedness against potential terrorist attacks.

Why does it matter?

At its heart, Martyn’s Law is about preparation and responsibility. It will require qualifying organisations and venues to consider the risk of attacks and put practical control measures in place to protect the public.

In short, if the public are welcomed into your organisation, you carry the responsibility to protect them.

Who’s affected? Understanding the tiers

Martyn’s Law sets out levels of requirements, depending on the organisation type, venue or event size and capacity, which will be divided into two ‘tiers’:

Standard – premises or events with a capacity between 200 and 799 individuals, including staff members.
Enhanced – premises or events with a capacity over 800 individuals. There will be a greater number of measures that will be required to be put in place due to the increased risk.

However, there are notable exceptions:

Places of worship and educational institutions are always treated as standard tier, regardless of size, provided they meet the 200+ capacity threshold.

Expectations for organisations

Organisations will be expected to carry out risk assessments and implement safety measures to protect those within the premises. The type and level of measures that will need to be put in place will vary depending on the tier and vulnerability of the organisation. However, there are four different types of measures which should be considered:

Monitoring equipment to detect and report any suspicious activity.
Measures which can control the movement of people into, out of and within the premisis.
Security and physical safety measures, such as installing safety glass.
Management of private and critical information which could be used to plan a terrorist attack.

Looking ahead: What should organisations do now?

Although Martyn’s Law has received Royal Assent, it isn’t being enforced immediately. The government has announced that there will be a 24-month implementation period to allow time for organisations to complete risk assessments, prepare safety measures and introduce necessary changes.

If your premises falls under the threshold, then planning risk assessments and potential safety measures will help you prepare for when the legislation comes into effect

It has also been announced that the Home Office will be publishing their statutory guidance during the implementation period, although a release date has not been stated yet.

How iHasco can support you

Here at iHasco, we’re committed to guiding organisations through this important transition.

Once the statutory guidance has been released, we will soon be offering a comprehensive, easy-to-understand course, highlighting all there is to know about complying with Martyn’s Law.

Our IOSH-approved Risk Assessment Training is also a great place to start.

In the meantime, you can access this gov.uk facesheet to help you understand what is being legislated, what the bill does and how it will affect your business.

Watch this space for the iHasco Martyn’s Law course…