Martyn’s Law Lockdown Procedures & Emergency Alert Planning
Lockdown is one of the four public protection procedures organisations in scope of Martyn’s Law need to consider. This practical guide focuses on how a lockdown procedure can be planned, communicated, tested and understood by the people who may need to use it — without confusing a lockdown response with a fire evacuation.
What is a lockdown procedure?
A lockdown procedure is a planned response for situations where unrestricted movement, normal access or evacuation could expose people to greater danger. Under Martyn’s Law, lockdown is specifically one of the public protection procedures that qualifying premises and events need to consider, alongside evacuation, invacuation and communication.
The legislation does not define operational categories such as “full lockdown”, “partial lockdown” or “zonal lockdown”. Those are practical planning terms a site may choose to use if they make the response clearer. What matters is that the procedure is appropriate to the premises, understood by those responsible for it, and can be implemented so far as is reasonably practicable.
When might a lockdown response be appropriate?
A lockdown should not be triggered merely because an incident has occurred. The decision should be based on the site's emergency plan and what action is likely to reduce harm in the circumstances.
Threat outside
A dangerous incident outside the premises where bringing people inside and restricting movement may be safer than allowing normal access or exit.
Intruder or violent threat
A serious threat inside or approaching the site where movement through shared areas could increase exposure.
Weapon-related report
A credible report of a weapon or serious violence where the site plan calls for people to secure themselves rather than move through the premises.
Police or emergency instruction
A situation where emergency services advise the premises to restrict entry, exit or internal movement.
The correct response may be evacuation, invacuation, lockdown or a combination. Site procedures should allow people with the right authority to make a rapid decision based on the information available.
What a practical lockdown procedure should define
The written plan should answer the questions people will have under pressure. It should not rely on staff interpreting vague instructions during an emergency.
Who can initiate lockdown?
Define who has authority to trigger the procedure and what happens if that person is unavailable or cannot reach the normal control point.
How is the alarm raised?
Specify the primary alert method and any backup method. People should be able to distinguish a lockdown alert from a fire alarm or routine announcement.
What action should people take?
Set out what staff, visitors, pupils, contractors and others should do, taking account of where they may be when the alert is received.
How are doors, access points and movement managed?
Identify what should be secured, what must remain usable for emergency services, and how internal movement is controlled without creating additional hazards.
How are people outside dealt with?
Plan for playgrounds, car parks, external work areas, sports fields, loading areas and people arriving during an incident.
How are emergency services contacted?
Define responsibility for calling the emergency services and how useful information about the incident, access and occupied areas will be communicated.
How is the all-clear given?
People should know that silence, a stopped sounder or a message from an unknown person is not automatically an all-clear. Define who can end the response and how that message is communicated.
What happens after the incident?
Include accountability, welfare, communication with families or stakeholders, system reset, incident recording and a review of what worked or needs changing.
The lockdown alert must be clear and distinguishable
A useful alerting arrangement should support
- a rapid method of initiating the alert;
- coverage across the areas where people need to receive it;
- a clear distinction from the fire alarm;
- audible and, where appropriate, visual notification;
- consistent instructions and terminology;
- zoning where the emergency plan genuinely requires it;
- backup power or resilient operation appropriate to the site;
- routine testing without unnecessarily disrupting the premises; and
- a controlled and recognisable all-clear process.
Avoid relying on
- word of mouth spreading from room to room;
- a single mobile phone or messaging group as the only site-wide method;
- a fire alarm signal that tells people to evacuate when the plan requires lockdown;
- codes that temporary staff, visitors or new employees do not understand;
- one control point that cannot be reached if part of the building is inaccessible; or
- an alert system that is never tested under realistic operating conditions.
Martyn’s Law includes communication as a separate public protection procedure. A lockdown plan therefore needs to address both the physical response and how information is provided to people at the premises or event.
Why a fire alarm is not automatically a lockdown alarm
| Issue | Fire response | Lockdown response |
|---|---|---|
| Primary objective | Move people away from the fire hazard, commonly by evacuating. | Restrict entry, exit or movement where doing so reduces exposure to the threat. |
| Typical alarm meaning | Leave using the planned fire procedure. | Follow the site's lockdown instructions; movement may need to stop. |
| Main risk of confusion | If the same signal is used for opposite actions, people may evacuate when the safer response is to remain secured. | |
| Design principle | Each emergency signal should have a clear, understood meaning within the site's emergency plan. | |
Full, partial and zonal lockdown planning
These are useful operational descriptions, not statutory Martyn’s Law categories. A site may use them if they make its procedure easier to understand and implement.
Full lockdown
The whole site implements the planned lockdown response. This may suit a threat where the location is uncertain or where movement across the premises should stop.
Partial lockdown
Only defined buildings, floors or areas implement lockdown while other parts of the site follow a different controlled response.
Zonal response
A larger or multi-building site uses predefined zones so alerts and actions can reflect the location of the threat and the safest movement options.
More complexity is not automatically better. Zoning should only be used where the organisation can reliably identify the affected area and staff can understand the different signals and actions under pressure.
Lockdown procedures for schools and colleges
Schools have particular practical issues because pupils, staff and visitors may be spread across classrooms, halls, playgrounds, sports areas and separate buildings. The procedure therefore needs to work during lessons, breaks, arrival and departure, events and other less structured parts of the day.
Classrooms & teaching spaces
Staff should understand how to secure or manage the room, control movement, account for pupils as far as practicable and respond if someone is outside the room when the alert begins.
Playgrounds & external areas
The plan should define what happens to people outside and whether they should invacuate, move to a safer location or avoid returning toward the source of danger.
Visitors, contractors & supply staff
Procedures should not depend entirely on long-term staff knowledge. Consider how people unfamiliar with the site will recognise an alert and receive instructions.
Communication with parents
The emergency plan should include controlled communication after the immediate response so families receive accurate information without overwhelming staff who are managing the incident.
Qualifying childcare, primary, secondary and further-education premises have special tier treatment under Martyn’s Law. For the detailed legal scope and thresholds, see our Martyn’s Law Explained guide.
Testing, staff awareness and procedure reviews
System test
Confirm initiation points, sounders, visual indicators, zones, backup power and any linked equipment operate as intended.
Procedure test
Check whether people understand the alert and can carry out their responsibilities rather than testing hardware alone.
Record & review
Record tests, faults and lessons learned, then update procedures or equipment where the test exposes a weakness.
Repeat after change
Review the plan after building alterations, staffing changes, changed access arrangements, incidents or significant operational changes.
The Act does not require organisations to buy a specific paid training course. What matters operationally is that people with responsibilities know the procedure and can carry out their role effectively.
What to consider in a dedicated lockdown alarm system
An alarm system should support the procedure rather than dictate it. The specification should be based on the buildings, people, coverage, response plan and resilience the site actually needs.
Rapid activation
Position activation points so authorised staff can initiate the alert quickly without relying on access to a single office or control room.
Audible & visual warning
Use suitable alert methods for the environment, including areas where noise, hearing needs or room layout could make one notification method insufficient.
Distinct signal
The lockdown alert should be clearly differentiated from the fire alarm and other routine signals used on the site.
Zoning where needed
Multi-building or larger premises may benefit from zones where the response plan requires different areas to receive different instructions.
Resilience
Consider power loss, communications failure, damaged infrastructure and whether the alert needs to continue operating during disruption.
Testing & condition reporting
Routine system checks and fault visibility help ensure the system intended for a rare emergency remains operational when needed.
A dedicated alarm is not itself a Martyn’s Law compliance certificate. The law requires appropriate procedures and, for Enhanced Tier premises and qualifying events, additional public protection measures. Equipment is one possible component of the wider arrangements.
Need a dedicated lockdown alert across your site?
Camelott® supplies wireless lockdown alarm systems for schools, offices and other organisations. Systems can include lockdown call points, sounders, visual alerts, annunciation and zoning, with the design based on the site's planned emergency response rather than a generic one-size-fits-all package.
Martyn’s Law lockdown FAQs
Does Martyn’s Law require a lockdown procedure?
Lockdown is one of four public protection procedures specified in the Act that qualifying premises and events need to consider. The procedure adopted must be appropriate and, so far as required by the Act, reasonably practicable for the particular premises or event.
Does Martyn’s Law require a dedicated lockdown alarm?
No specific alarm product is mandated. A dedicated alert system can support lockdown and communication where it is appropriate for the site, but installing equipment alone does not establish compliance.
Can we use our fire alarm for lockdown?
A fire alarm is normally associated with evacuation. If a lockdown plan requires people to remain secured or stop moving, using an indistinguishable signal can create dangerous ambiguity. The site should ensure every emergency signal has a clearly understood meaning.
Is a full, partial or zonal lockdown required by law?
Those are operational planning terms rather than statutory Martyn’s Law categories. A premises can use them if they help implement an appropriate site-specific response.
How often should a lockdown system be tested?
The appropriate testing programme depends on the equipment, premises and procedures. The important point is that the organisation can establish that the alerting system works and that people with responsibilities understand the procedure. Tests should also be reviewed after changes or identified faults.
When does Martyn’s Law come into force?
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 has received Royal Assent. The substantive duties are expected to commence in spring 2027, with the exact date to be confirmed ahead of implementation.
Official Martyn’s Law information
This page focuses on operational lockdown planning. Use the official statutory guidance and SIA information for legal scope, duties and regulatory requirements.
Information checked against current Home Office and SIA guidance available in September 2026. This page provides general operational information and is not legal advice. Emergency procedures should be developed for the individual premises with regard to current official guidance and relevant professional advice.