Martyn's Law: working together to prepare
Laura Gibb, the SIA's Executive Director for Martyn's Law, updates on how the SIA is working with premises and events and on new resources.
We know that as we draw nearer to Martyn’s Law coming into force, many of you are eager to prepare. My update this month describes some new tools we’ve released to help you do that.
Working together to get it right
We have been clear from the outset that we cannot build a new regulatory function without engagement, testing and feedback from the very premises and qualifying events whose compliance we will be assessing.
This has been embedded in our approach from the start.
It’s what sees us travelling all over the UK to attend events and hear first-hand from you. Thank you to membership groups and bodies for continuing to invite us to speak to your audiences.
It’s why we are running pilot inspections in different locations and for different types of premises. Our early pilot inspections of premises, amongst others, included a nightclub, university, and heritage site. We have now lined up over 30 more premises and events to test the inspection processes further.
It’s also why we are testing all our new tools and resources with volunteer premises, from local councils to theatres, showgrounds to major retailers with multiple premises in scope.
We are about to test the new digital service with users across all types and sectors in scope of Martyn’s Law.
It’s not too late to sign up if you are interested in getting involved. Taking part will help ensure what we create reflects premises or events like yours and should help you in your own preparations. We are particularly looking for volunteers from:
- one-off events of all sizes
- hospitals
- sites with multiple uses
Helping you prepare
Over the last few months, we have travelled across the UK participating in events alongside the Home Office and Counter Terrorism Policing. We presented at in-person roadshows in cities including Belfast, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Manchester, Nottingham, and London, as well as many hybrid and remote sessions online.
At every event we attended, it has been helpful to hear that many of you are testing your own understanding of what you need to do, and to help you answer questions about some of the trickier areas you are dealing with. You have also let us know what practical guidance and other resources you would find useful to help you prepare.
In response to this and other engagements we have taken part in with membership bodies, I am pleased to share our first set of tools to help with this.
Developed with the support of lots of volunteers from qualifying premises and events, we have published:
- a planning tool that will help you work through what procedures you have or will put in place to comply if you are in the standard tier
- a template that you can use to document compliance when Martyn’s Law comes into force, if you are in the enhanced tier
Using the tools
For those of you in the standard tier, the planning tool should help you think through how you will put in place appropriate procedures for evacuation, lockdown and invacuation (moving people to safe areas within a premises) in the event of a terrorist attack. It also looks at how you will ensure your communication procedures between staff and members of the public are suitable for your premises.
For those of you in the enhanced tier, the template can be used to document compliance when Martyn’s Law comes into force. It will help you to think through the procedures you need to consider and their effect on reducing harm in the event of a terrorist attack. It will also help you consider how you will assess any vulnerabilities to attack, and how you will use monitoring, movement of people, physical security, and information security measures to reduce these.
We have designed these tools to guide you through what you need to think about in a logical way and help record your decision making. They are not intended to give you a definitive checklist of what to do. Preparations will look different for everyone, depending on the specifics of your premises or event and the resources you have available.
We want these tools to work for you. We encourage you to share feedback and let us know how you’d adapt them for your circumstances. You can do so through our online form before 23 December.
Your questions answered
There are some common questions that we are asked wherever we go. Some of you are still concerned about whether you’re in scope. There are easy to use flowcharts to help with working out if a premises is in scope or not on ProtectUK.
The 2 main tests for premises are:
- what the premises are wholly or mainly used for
- how many people are expected to be present at the busiest times including staff
For events, there are 4 main considerations. Events will only be in scope if all the following apply:
- 800 or more people are expected at the busiest times including staff
- there are controls on entry, such as tickets or wristbands
- the event is accessible to the public
- the event is not being held at a premises already in the enhanced tier
Some of you have questions about who the responsible person is. This may be an individual but will usually be an organisation. The Home Office has produced a useful video on responsible persons. The responsible person is the one who has control of the premises for the use that is in scope. Read the section 27 guidance to learn more about role of the responsible person.
Questions on training also come up a lot. There is no legal requirement in the Act to complete specific training to demonstrate compliance. But anyone involved in carrying out public protection procedures must understand them, their specific role and have the knowledge and tools to carry them out effectively. Training is likely to help with this. There are free training modules available on ProtectUK and NPSA.
Tackling misconceptions
Some of you may have seen stories in the media about a council’s decision to cancel a local fireworks display this year. Other community event organisers are considering what Martyn’s Law may mean for them, including whether the new requirements will make their events too difficult or expensive to run. It’s sad to hear about events being cancelled. Martyn’s Law is not about stopping events – it is about bringing in consistent standards to make them safer.
Firstly, not every public gathering or fireworks display will necessarily be a qualifying event under Martyn’s Law. Some events, such as many traditional Christmas markets, may not meet the legal definition of a qualifying event because they do not have appropriate control over access to attendees. Organisers should work out if their event will be in scope before assuming that Martyn’s Law requires them to take a particular action.
There is still time to plan and get this right, before Martyn’s Law comes into force.
Our message is simple. Martyn’s Law does not mean that community events need to be cancelled or require organisers to take specific actions. For example, employ expensive security personnel, buy new technology products, or employ specialist consultants. Martyn’s Law is intended to improve public safety by consistently making sure that premises and events in scope are better prepared for the possibility of a terrorist attack.
The new law is based on what is reasonably practicable in the circumstances. This is one of the safeguards that helps keep the law proportionate and stops it being too much of a burden on those operating premises or events.
Effective steps may be straightforward and low-cost for smaller venues and the events held there. For example, you could make sure people running an event know what to do in an emergency. You could also think through evacuation or lockdown arrangements and make sure you can communicate effectively with the public.
The Home Office section 27 guidance on GOV.UK is a good place to start working through the requirements. There is also more protective security advice and information to help you prepare on Protect UK.
If you would like us to come and speak to your sector, or if you have more questions about how to prepare for Martyn’s Law, please contact us at:
Martyn's Law enquiries
Email MLR@sia.gov.uk