Martyn’s Law Lockdown Procedures
Emergency alert planning for premises, schools and public venues
Martyn’s Law lockdown procedures are one part of a wider emergency response. The Act identifies lockdown alongside evacuation, invacuation and communication, but the correct response still depends on the location of the threat, the premises and the information available at the time.
Current legal position: the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 is law, but its substantive duties are not yet in force. The SIA currently expects commencement in spring 2027, with the exact date still to be confirmed. The SIA said on 11 September 2026 that optional Standard and Enhanced Tier templates are being developed; organisations will not be required to use those templates.
Operational focus
What is a lockdown procedure?
The Act defines lockdown as securing premises or an event to prevent individuals entering or leaving. In practical emergency planning, a site may also need to manage movement inside the premises, control access points and combine lockdown with evacuation or invacuation as the incident develops.
These four procedures are specified in the Act. They are not four separate products. The Responsible Person needs to consider how appropriate procedures can be implemented quickly and effectively, so far as is reasonably practicable, when the relevant duties commence.
Scenario planning
When might a lockdown response be appropriate?
An incident label should not automatically determine the response. The question is whether restricting entry, exit or movement is likely to reduce harm in the circumstances.
Threat outside
A dangerous incident near the premises where bringing people inside or stopping normal entry and exit may be safer than allowing movement to continue.
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's plan may require people to secure themselves rather than move through the premises.
Emergency-service instruction
Police or another emergency service may advise the premises to restrict entry, exit or movement as information develops.
ProtectUK guidance stresses that the correct response can be evacuation, invacuation, lockdown, use of protected spaces or a combination. Initial decision-making should be rapid and proportionate and may need to change as the situation develops.
Procedure structure
What should a practical lockdown procedure define?
The written procedure should answer the questions people are likely to face under pressure. It should not depend on staff interpreting vague instructions during an incident.
Who can initiate the response?
Identify the roles authorised to start the procedure and what happens if the normal decision-maker is unavailable or cannot reach the usual control point.
How is the alert raised?
Define the primary alert method and a proportionate fallback. The signal should be recognisable and clearly distinguishable from routine signals and the normal fire alarm.
What action should people take?
Describe what staff, visitors, pupils, contractors and others should do according to where they are and the information available.
How are doors, access points and movement managed?
Identify which access points can be secured, how escape routes remain available where needed, and how the procedure avoids creating a new hazard.
What happens to people outside?
Include car parks, playgrounds, sports areas, loading points, smoking areas, external workspaces and people arriving during the incident.
How are emergency services contacted?
Define who calls 999, who acts as backup and how the site will provide useful information about the incident, access and occupied areas without delaying the call.
How is a change of procedure or all-clear authenticated?
Silence or a stopped sounder is not an all-clear. Define who can change or end the procedure and how staff will verify that the instruction is genuine.
What happens after the incident?
Include welfare, accountability, evidence preservation, communication with families or stakeholders, system reset, debriefing and review.
Emergency communication
The alert must be clear, rapid and distinguishable
Communication is a separate public protection procedure in the Act. A lockdown plan therefore needs to cover both the physical response and how people receive information.
A useful alerting arrangement should support
- rapid activation from suitable locations;
- coverage across the areas that need to receive the warning;
- a clear distinction from the fire alarm and routine bells;
- audible and, where appropriate, visual notification;
- consistent instructions and terminology;
- accessibility for people who may not perceive one form of alert;
- resilient operation appropriate to the site; and
- a controlled and recognisable all-clear process.
Avoid relying only on
- word of mouth moving from room to room;
- one mobile phone or messaging group as the sole site-wide method;
- one control point that may be inaccessible during the incident;
- a signal people may confuse with fire evacuation;
- codes that visitors or temporary staff do not understand; or
- an alert method that is never tested in normal operating conditions.
Critical distinction
Why a fire alarm is not automatically a lockdown alarm
Fire and security incidents can require different actions. The response should come from the emergency plan rather than an assumption that one signal is suitable for every hazard.
| Issue | Fire response | Lockdown / security 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. |
| Signal meaning | Usually activates the site's established fire procedure. | Should communicate a clearly understood security action or instruction. |
| Route choice | Uses planned fire escape routes subject to the fire procedure. | A normal route may be unsafe if it takes people towards an attacker, device or contaminated area. |
| Design principle | The signal and action should be familiar and understood. | A different signal or clear instruction may be needed where the intended action differs. |
ProtectUK specifically warns that activating a normal fire alarm to initiate a non-fire evacuation can create an incorrect response. Where available, a PA system or other communication method can give scenario-specific instructions.
Site-specific planning terms
Full, partial and zonal lockdown planning
These can be useful operational descriptions, but they are not separate statutory Martyn’s Law categories.
Full lockdown
The whole site implements the planned lockdown response. This may suit an incident where the threat location is uncertain or where wider movement should stop.
Partial lockdown
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 where the procedure genuinely requires different areas to receive different instructions.
ProtectUK guidance recognises both partial and full lockdown. More complexity is not automatically better: zoning only helps where the site can reliably identify affected areas and people can understand the different signals and actions under pressure.
Education settings
Lockdown procedures for schools and colleges
Schools have particular practical issues because pupils, staff and visitors can be spread across classrooms, halls, playgrounds, sports areas, detached blocks and external spaces.
Department for Education school and college security guidance was updated on 3 July 2026. It says schools and colleges should have a security policy and plan, review evacuation and invacuation arrangements and consider dynamic lockdown where a significant security risk is identified.
Classrooms and teaching spaces
Staff need to understand the planned action, how to manage the room and what to do if pupils or colleagues are outside when the alert begins.
Playgrounds and external areas
The procedure should consider whether people outside should enter, move elsewhere or avoid returning towards the source of danger.
Visitors, contractors and supply staff
The response should not depend entirely on long-term staff knowledge. Consider how people unfamiliar with the site will recognise an alert and receive instructions.
Parents and family communication
Plan how accurate information will be provided after the immediate response without overwhelming staff who are still managing the incident.
Qualifying childcare, primary, secondary and further-education premises have special tier treatment under Martyn’s Law. Where 200 or more people may reasonably be present at the same time, these education premises remain in the Standard Tier even if numbers reach 800 or more. Check the current statutory guidance for the exact scope rules.
Readiness
Testing, staff awareness and procedure reviews
The Act does not prescribe one paid course or one universal drill frequency. The people with responsibilities do need enough information, instruction and experience to carry out the procedure effectively.
System test
Check the activation points, warning devices, visual indicators, zones, backup power and linked equipment relied on by the procedure.
Procedure test
Check whether the people with responsibilities understand the warning and can carry out the planned actions rather than testing hardware alone.
Record useful lessons
Keep proportionate records of faults, decisions and lessons where doing so helps the organisation review and improve its arrangements.
Review after change
Revisit the procedure after building alterations, staffing changes, different access arrangements, significant incidents or material operational changes.
ProtectUK recommends regular training and exercising for emergency-response plans. That is protective-security good practice; it should not be confused with a statutory requirement for one specific commercial training programme or fixed drill timetable.
Technology supporting the procedure
What to consider in a dedicated lockdown alarm system
An alarm system should support the emergency procedure rather than dictate it. The specification should reflect the buildings, people, coverage and resilience the site actually needs.
Rapid activation
Position suitable activation methods so authorised people can raise the alert without relying on access to one office or control point.
Audible and visual warning
Consider the environment, background noise, hearing needs and room layout rather than assuming one notification method reaches everyone.
Distinct signal
The security warning should be clearly differentiated from the normal fire alarm and other routine signals used on the site.
Zoning where justified
Larger or multi-building premises may benefit from zones where the emergency plan genuinely requires different areas to receive different instructions.
Resilience
Consider power loss, network failure, damaged infrastructure and whether the alert needs to remain available during disruption.
Testing and condition reporting
System checks and fault visibility help maintain equipment that may be used rarely but needs to work when an emergency occurs.
A dedicated alarm is not a Martyn’s Law compliance certificate. The Act does not mandate one alarm product. Equipment is one possible part of wider procedures and, where applicable, Enhanced Tier public protection measures.
September 2026 update
What changed in the latest Martyn’s Law guidance?
The operational lockdown principles have not been replaced, but several implementation resources have moved on since earlier versions of this page.
25 August 2026
The Home Office statutory guidance collection was updated. This remains the main official reference for scope and duties under section 27 of the Act.
10 September 2026
The Home Office added guidance on identifying the principal use of an individual premises that has more than one Schedule 1 use.
11 September 2026
The SIA confirmed it is developing optional Standard and Enhanced Tier templates and an online scope tool. The SIA says there will be no requirement to use its templates.
Frequently asked questions
Martyn’s Law lockdown FAQs
Does Martyn’s Law require a lockdown procedure?
Does Martyn’s Law require a dedicated lockdown alarm?
Can a fire alarm be used for lockdown?
Are full, partial and zonal lockdown statutory categories?
How often should a lockdown procedure be tested?
Do staff need a specific Martyn’s Law training course?
When does Martyn’s Law come into force?
Need a dedicated lockdown alert across your site?
Camelott® supplies wireless lockdown alarm systems for schools, offices and other organisations. A surveyed system can combine activation points, sounders, visual alerts, voice annunciation, zoning and monitoring options according to the site's planned emergency response.
General information only. Legal and operational guidance checked against current Home Office, SIA, ProtectUK and Department for Education material available on 22 September 2026. This is not legal advice.
Official sources