Martyn's Law Explained: What Public Venues Need To Know Before April 2027
Martyn's Law will affect schools, hospitals, offices, theatres, leisure facilities, places of worship and many other publicly accessible venues. The key point is simple: organisations need clear procedures for lockdown, evacuation, invacuation and communication.
The Aim of Martyn's Law
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, commonly known as Martyn's Law, is currently in its implementation period and is expected to become enforceable in April 2027.
The legislation is named after Martyn Hett, who was tragically killed alongside 21 others in the Manchester Arena terrorist attack in 2017. It aims to improve preparedness and public protection across publicly accessible premises in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The Four Public Protection Procedures
The legislation covers four core procedures. These are practical response measures that organisations should understand, document and communicate clearly to staff.
Which Premises Are Affected?
Martyn's Law applies to publicly accessible venues with a capacity of 200 or more people. It is split into Standard Tier and Enhanced Tier.
- Standard Tier: premises with a capacity of 200 to 799 people.
- Enhanced Tier: premises with a capacity of 800 or more people.
- Schools and places of worship: placed within the Standard Tier regardless of capacity.
Premises may include schools, hospitals, theatres, music venues, museums, department stores, leisure facilities, offices open to the public and temporary event spaces.
Martyn's Law and Lockdown Procedures
Lockdown procedures focus on securing entry and exit points and making sure any lockdown alert is clear, immediate and unambiguous.
- Full Lockdown: preventing people entering or exiting the premises.
- Partial Lockdown: locking selected entry and exit points while others remain operational.
- Zonal Lockdown: locking down specific pre-designated areas within the premises.
A lockdown procedure is only useful if people understand the alert. For many sites, especially schools and multi-building venues, a dedicated lockdown alarm can remove some of the uncertainty that comes from word-of-mouth instructions or unclear alerts.
The Role of the Security Industry Authority
A regulator has been established through a new function of the Security Industry Authority, commonly known as the SIA.
Once the implementation period ends, the SIA will have powers to make enquiries, inspect enhanced tier premises, issue compliance notices and apply restriction notices where required.
Fines and Non-Compliance
All venues, whether Standard Tier or Enhanced Tier, must notify the SIA of their responsible person and keep those details updated.
Preparing Before April 2027
Organisations should use the implementation period to review emergency procedures, staff training and communication systems.
- How would staff raise a lockdown alert?
- Would everyone immediately understand what the alert means?
- Can the alert reach multiple buildings, outdoor areas and remote parts of the site?
- Are lockdown procedures documented and reviewed?
- Has staff training been completed and recorded?
- Is the lockdown alert clearly different from the fire alarm?
Lockdown Alarm Systems for Martyn's Law Preparedness
Camelott® supplies lockdown alarm systems for schools, colleges, offices, healthcare facilities, places of worship and other public-facing organisations preparing for Martyn's Law. A dedicated lockdown alarm gives staff a clear, recognisable alert when a fast response is needed.