On 3rd April 2025, Martyn’s Law officially made UK law. The British government has given businesses and organisations 24 months to understand and comply with new, terror-proofing security measures for public premises.
What is Martyn’s Law?
‘Martyn’s Law’ is a legal requirement for those responsible for publicly accessible spaces. It introduces mandatory security measures to prepare for, and reduce vulnerability to, terror attacks.
Why is it being introduced?
Martyn’s Law, also known as the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, has been driven primarily by Figen Murray, the mother of Martyn Hett, who was killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing. This attack exposed a worrying gap in public venue security, with many venues subsequently being found to have little to no formal plans for dealing with terrorist incidents. Since the attack, Murray has campaigned tirelessly for stronger security measures at public venues to prevent similar tragedies. The law seeks to make public safety a legal responsibility, turning the lessons learned from the Manchester attack into lasting protection for others.
What will Martyn’s Law do?
Martyn’s Law will improve protective security by requiring that those responsible for certain premises and events take security measures aimed at reducing their vulnerability to a terrorist attack. Martyn’s Law has been introduced to ensure that all public venues take life-saving security measures to safeguard against future attacks.
Who does Martyn’s Law apply to?
The law applies across the UK, including entertainment venues, shops, public buildings, educational institutions, places of worship and local authority-run spaces. Venues with capacities for 200+ individuals will be required to appoint a ‘responsible person’ to manage their compliance with Martyn’s Law.
How to comply?
If your venue has a capacity of 200 - 799 people, the ‘responsible person’ will be required to develop a standard duty security plan for your premises. If your venue has a total capacity of 800+ people, the ‘responsible person’ will be required to implement formal, enhanced duty security measures.
Standard duty premises requirements:
For venues with capacity for between 200 - 799 individuals (including staff), the responsible person will be required to notify the Security Industry Authority (SIA) of their premises; and put in place appropriate public protection procedures.
These public protections are expected to reduce the risk of physical harm being caused to individuals relating to evacuation, moving people to a safe place, locking down premises, and communicating effectively with individuals still inside.
Enhanced duty premises requirements:
For venues with capacity for 800 or more individuals (including staff), the person responsible will be additionally required to implement appropriate public protection measures expected to reduce:
1. The vulnerability of the premises or event to an act of terrorism
2. The risk of physical harm being caused to individuals (if an attack was to occur there or nearby).
Enhanced duty premises will also be required to implement monitoring of both the premises and its immediate vicinity.
How will Martyn’s Law be enforced?
To support the enforcement of this new legislation, there will be a new regulatory function established within the Security Industry Authority (SIA). This new arm of the SIA will aim to support, advise and guide those responsible for qualifying premises in meeting the requirements of Martyn’s Law. Instances of ‘serious or persistent non-compliance’ will result in the SIA being able to enforce monetary penalties and restriction notices. The new legislation also includes some criminal offences for non-compliance.
How can FAAC help?
FAAC UK can provide a variety of innovative, robust internal and perimeter security kits to prepare your premises for compliance with Martyn’s Law and its primary pillars of public protection. These core pillars are as follows:
- Monitoring (to enable the identification and reporting of an attack)
- Movement (to prohibit or restrict movement of people/vehicles)
- Security of Information (ensuring sensitive information is secured)
- Physical Security (strengthening the physical structure of the premises)
1) Crash-rated FAAC Bollards: automated hostile vehicle mitigation
Martyn’s Law focuses on reducing vulnerability to terrorist attack. Crash-rated bollards and permanent/automatic HVM bollards are the primary physical mitigation to stop or slow hostile vehicles at perimeter lines, entrances and pedestrian zones. The first line of physical security against vehicle-borne attacks and a visible deterrent for hostile drivers, restricting movement in key areas.
2) Full-height Turnstiles: plug & play secure access
Martyn’s Law asks venues to understand who’s on site and have plans for safe evacuation and lockdown. Turnstiles and boarding gates control and count pedestrian flow, enforce ticketed/controlled access, and integrate with access control and CCTV — useful for both prevention (restricting unauthorised entry) and response (controlled evacuation/egress, headcounts). FAAC UK provide a wide range of turnstiles with pre-assembled, ‘plug and play’ install capabilities for improved physical security and restriction of movement at large public venues.
3) Flowmotion Pedestrian Gates: emergency egress solutions
Large UK premises will need secure, accessible pedestrian gates that still permit safe, rapid evacuation. FAAC UK’s range of pedestrian gates (including fire/emergency-release functionality and accessible lanes) balance security with life-safety — a requirement for any protective security plan that also must meet fire/evacuation obligations.
4) Automatic Vehicular Barriers: everyday vehicle control
For everyday vehicle control (traffic flow, deliveries, contractor access), FAAC automatic barriers give reliable control and can be integrated with access control systems and CCTV — important for implementing staff/visitor screening, logging vehicle movements and enforcing exclusion zones that Martyn’s Law expects venues to plan for.
5) Systems Integration: access control, CCTV, alarms and alerting
Martyn’s Law expects venues to have an alert mechanism and to be able to implement protective measures quickly. Our security products are designed to integrate with third-party access control, CCTV monitoring and alarm systems so barriers, bollards and gates can be centrally managed by a secure system and used as part of an automated lockdown/evacuation workflow for real-time response.
Need support with compliance? Let’s start the conversation!
Martyn’s Law is here to stay and the bar for public security has officially been raised. If you need some support to become compliant, get in touch with the FAAC UK team and find a market-leading security solution for your premises today.