Martyn's Law - improving safety at public venues and events

Martyn’s Law, officially called the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, became law on 3 April 2025. It aims to improve security and preparedness at public venues and events by helping organisers be better prepared and reduce the impact of potential terrorist attacks.

The law is named after Martyn Hett, who was killed in the Manchester Arena attack in 2017. It is designed to ensure lessons are learned from that tragedy and that venues take steps to keep people safer.

What the law means

Martyn’s Law will apply to certain public places, events and venues. It requires those responsible to:

• Understand the threat of terrorism
• Take steps to reduce risk and prepare for emergencies
• Train staff and have a safety plan in place

The law is not yet in force. The government's timeline for implementation will be at least 24 months before it takes effect. This gives time for organisers and venue operators to prepare and understand their new responsibilities.

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) has been named as the official regulator and will help oversee how the law is followed.

Watch: New Martyn’s Law explainer video (protectuk.police.uk)

Do you need to employ third party providers?

No. Premises and event organisers do not need to spend money on consultants to be compliant with the legislative requirements. The government’s statutory guidance will assist in determining whether premises or events are in scope of the legislation and if so which tier they fall within. It will enable duty holders to make their own assessments on how they will meet the requirements of the relevant tier and in turn make an assessment on whether they need to seek further support. Please be aware that neither the Home Office nor the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) endorse any third-party products or providers in respect of compliance with this legislation.

What event organisers should do now

If you organise public events or have responsibility for public venues, we encourage you to start learning about Martyn’s Law now. This will help you plan ahead and make sure your future events and publicly accessible venues meet the new safety standards.

As of April 2026, the Home Office has published the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 statutory guidance.

Licensing Act 2003 - Model Conditions - Martyn's Law

When using the content on this page for your own document / licence, you will need to insert certain details that are relevant for your licence. Where these are required the need for specific information is marked in brackets and leads with the word 'Insert' e.g.: [Insert: specific days and times]

1. At all times that the premises are open to the public for licensable activities, all staff on-duty at the premises, including all door supervisors, and all on-duty managers must have completed Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) Awareness e-learning training. In addition, a minimum of one on-duty manager and any on-duty security supervisor/manager must also have attended a Counterterrorism (CT) Awareness session delivered by Counterterrorism Policing Leicestershire (CTPL) trained personnel as soon as reasonably practicable. If not completed, they must have registered to attend a course and be able to provide evidence of this if requested by a police officer or authorised officer of the licensing authority.
2. The Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) must have attended a CT Awareness training session delivered by CTPL trained personnel as soon as is reasonably practicable. In all cases, within 28 days of a new designated premises supervisor being named on the licence, they must have registered to attend a course and be able to provide evidence of this if requested by a police officer or authorised officer of Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council.
3. There must be a documented security assessment, which must incorporate counterterrorism measures for the premises. The assessment shall be routinely reviewed and must be reviewed following the elevation of the change of the national threat level. All reviews shall be documented.
4. Within 28 days of the grant of a new licence or variation of the licence which involves changing the layout of the premises, the premises licence holder shall evaluate any risks identified through the security assessment and take prompt steps to eliminate them or to reduce the risk as far as is reasonably practicable. A documented record must be maintained of any remedial action implemented and made available upon request to any police officer or an authorised officer of Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council.
5. The premises must have a documented security plan, which sets out counter measures to be implemented in response to a terrorist attack that incorporates the principles of ‘Guide’, Shelter’ and ‘Communicate’ as appropriate in conjunction with relevant National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NACTSO) / Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) guidance, and the purposes of those procedures and the necessity of following them must be understood by those carrying them out:
   • Guide – Direct people towards the most appropriate location (invacuation, evacuation, hide)
   • Shelter – Understand how your place or space might be able to lock down and shelter people within it for several hours
   • Communicate – Have a means of communicating effectively and promptly with users of your place and have staff capable of giving clear instructions

Further information

• Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025: factsheets (GOV.UK)
• Martyn's Law and the SIA's role as regulator (GOV.UK)
• Martyn’s Law Factsheet (homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk)
• The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (GOV.UK)

Last updated: 10/07/2026 14:42