While Martyn's law becomes legislation, Danny Lamar, director of health and security at Workman, gives an overview of the changes, which affect a wide range of premises – including retail destinations and shopping centers.
On April 3, 2025, the United Kingdom made a major decision in strengthening public security with the death ofLaw on terrorism (protection of premises), More broadly recognized as Martyn's law. Now officially part of British legislation following Royal Agence, this historic law presents new obligations for owners and premises operators accessible to the public, with large -scale implications on how the properties are managed.
Martyn's law has a new layer of legal obligations for those who have or manage spaces accessible to the public. This legislation is relevant for a wide range of premises, including entertainment places, sports stages, shopping centers, hotel companies, places of worship and public buildings. Consequently, the owners will have to adopt a proactive position to ensure that they are fully compliant.
Martyn's law represents a seismic change in the way the real estate sector thinks of security in public spaces. It is both a challenge and an opportunity to take up the public protection bar.
What is the context of Martyn's law?
Martyn’s law is appointed to the memory of Martyn Hett, one of the 22 victims of the Manchester Arena 2017 attack. He follows a powerful campaign led by his mother, Figen Murray, who was an ardent defender of stronger safety measures in public spaces.
The law aims to approach the security gaps highlighted in the aftermath of the attack by forcing certain places to take proportionate measures to prepare and respond to potential terrorist threats. It introduces an approach at several levels of compliance based on the size and capacity of a place:
- The standard level applies to sites with a capacity of 200 to 799 people. These places must carry out fundamental but crucial activities such as the training of awareness of terrorism and the development of emergency procedures.
- The improved level covers larger sites with 800 or more people, requiring more robust measures, in particular risk assessments, formal security planning and the designation of an elderly person responsible for compliance.
Five steps to apply Martyn's law
Understand the classification of levels: A first key step is to identify whether a property is standard or improved. This will determine the specific measures required and may also require an examination of the rental agreements to clarify where the responsibilities of conformity are – in particular in multi -local buildings.
Implementation of security measures: For standard level sites, this could involve providing the staff with awareness training in terrorism and to create basic emergency intervention plans. Improved level places, on the other hand, will have to implement more complete security strategies, undertake regular risk assessments and potentially invest in physical security upgrades. Each answer must be adapted to the use and the point of view of the property.
Collaboration for compliance: The effective implementation of Martyn's law will be based on collaboration between owners, occupants, real estate managers and local authorities. Committing with professionals in the fight against terrorism and the police will help align the specific plans for the site with wider regional and national strategies.
Keep specific recordings: As with the conformity to fires and health and safety, the documentation is essential. Holding in -depth registers of training sessions, emergency procedures and risk assessments will be crucial to demonstrate compliance in the event of an inspection.
Planning in advance: The government indicated a transition period of 24 months before the law was fully in force. This provides a precious window for owners and managers to assess their portfolios, plan upgrades and allocate the necessary resources.
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