Receiving Royal Assent on Thursday 3 April 2025, Martyn’s Law introduces new legal requirements for owners and operators of certain premises and events to prevent the likelihood of a terrorist attack and protect the general public. Here, we explain what Martyn’s Law is, and how those within its scope can best use the next 24 months of its implementation to prepare their business and improve protective security.
Why was Martyn’s Law enacted?
Martyn Hett was singing and laughing in the foyer of Manchester Arena during an Ariana Grande concert when Salman Abedi detonated a shrapnel-filled bomb that killed 22 people, including Martyn, and injured hundreds of others.
The attack of May 2017 shocked the UK, as did a subsequent inquiry revealing numerous failings on the part of both Manchester Arena and the emergency services.
A report of a suspicious person with a large rucksack by a member of the public was not acted upon, largely because the two young security guards on duty had had “insufficient direction on how to respond [to] or report suspicious behaviour and encouragement to act upon it,” according to independent security experts.
Attempts to contact more senior members of staff for advice had proven fruitless, leaving Abedi free to walk and loiter around the venue for hours without being stopped or checked even once.
Officer presence had also been insufficient, with only four officers on patrol that night instead of the seven, including one sergeant, recommended by the British Transport Police. Two officers had even taken a two-hour meal break before the attack, driving five miles for a kebab whilst on duty.
Eighteen months after the attack, there was little to suggest that security had improved. Attending a concert in Salford, Martyn’s mother Figen Murray was horrified to realise that no security seemed to be in place, with no-one checking the small bag she was carrying at any point during her visit.
Ms Murray would go on to be instrumental in the creation and enaction of Martyn’s Law, walking more than 200 miles to petition Downing Street for a legal duty to protect members of the public and prevent the likelihood of a terrorist attack.
What is Martyn’s Law?
Officially known as The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (‘the 2025 Act’), Martyn’s Law aims to “ensure the public are better protected from terrorism by requiring certain public premises and events to be prepared and ready to keep people safe in the event of an attack,” according to the Protect UK website.
Falling under the ‘Protect’ and ‘Prepare’ strands of the UK Government’s anti-terrorist framework CONTEST, Martyn’s Law creates a legal duty for certain premises or events to assess the risks of terrorism and implement proportionate security measures.
It establishes a tiered approach to this duty, which means that the requirements will depend on how many people can be reasonably expected to be present at the same time.
Martyn’s Law also creates a new function for the Security Industry Authority (SIA), the UK’s private security industry regulator. Under the 2025 Act, the SIA will be responsible for enforcing the new regulatory framework by providing guidance and support in the first instance. Under Schedule 3, however, the SIA will also have the power to enter premises after giving 72 hours’ notice to inspect and observe activities. Where necessary, they may also apply for a warrant to remove items, documents or equipment as evidence.
The SIA can also take enforcement action against serious or persistent non-compliance. Such action may include compliance notices, monetary penalties (up to a maximum of £10,000 for standard duty premises and £18m or 5% of worldwide revenue for enhanced duty premises or qualifying events), and restriction notices.
The Act also introduces criminal offences, such as providing false or misleading information to the SIA, or intentionally obstructing or impersonating an authorised inspector.