Protecting Public Spaces: The Promise and Challenges of Martyn’s Law

In an age where public safety has become a critical priority, Martyn’s Law, commonly referred to as the Protect Duty, represents a pivotal step toward safeguarding venues and public spaces from potential threats.

As the law progresses toward enactment, it has sparked both support and critical discussions among security professionals, raising important questions about its implementation, regulation, and practical impact. This article explores the journey of Martyn’s Law so far, its key features, and how it challenges venues, events, and organisations to rethink their approach to security and preparedness.

Background and Origin of Martyn’s Law

Martyn’s Law, also known as the Protect Duty, is a proposed piece of UK legislation aimed at increasing the security of public venues and protecting the public from terrorist attacks. The law is named after Martyn Hett, a victim of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, which highlighted critical gaps in the security measures at venues where large groups of people gather. Martyn’s mother, Figen Murray, became a vocal advocate for stronger legislation and accountability, leading to the development of Martyn’s Law. The law seeks to ensure that venues, event organisers, and those responsible for public spaces take proactive steps to assess and mitigate risks, thereby further safeguarding the public.

The Road So Far: How the Protect Duty is Taking Shape

The concept of Protect Duty gained momentum in 2020 when the UK government held a public consultation to gather views on enhancing public security. Responses from individuals, security professionals, businesses, and organisations overwhelmingly supported the initiative, emphasising the need for a more structured and legal approach to security in public spaces. Following the consultation, the UK government has taken steps to introduce Martyn’s Law into the legislative process, with strong support from both the public and private sectors. While Martyn’s Law has not yet been enacted, it has laid the groundwork for future legal obligations regarding security measures at public venues.

Two Tiers, One Goal: What Martyn’s Law Means for Venues Big and Small

As of the latest update, Martyn’s Law is expected to be introduced in two tiers:

Standard Tier: For smaller venues (100+ capacity), requiring basic security measures like risk assessments and staff training.

Enhanced Tier: For larger venues (800+ capacity), mandating detailed security plans, incident response protocols, and advanced training.

While the law isn’t yet set in stone, it’s expected to come into effect soon.

Key Features of Martyn’s Law

The legislation will primarily focus on four areas:

Risk Assessment

Venues will need to conduct regular risk assessments to identify potential vulnerabilities and threats. This will involve analysing both physical and operational aspects of the site and assessing the likelihood of various threats, including terrorism.

Staff Training and Awareness

Martyn’s Law will emphasise the importance of training employees to recognise suspicious behaviour and respond to emergencies. This includes both general training and specialised training for high-capacity venues.

Security Plans

Venues, particularly those in the Enhanced Tier, will need to develop detailed security plans that outline procedures for dealing with different types of incidents. This will include lockdown protocols, evacuation plans, and communication strategies.

Collaboration with Local Authorities

Venues will be encouraged to work closely with law enforcement and local authorities to ensure cohesive responses to potential threats, to keep security plans up-to-date with changing threat levels, and to share information and intelligence.

The Big Questions: Security Professionals Weigh In on Protect Duty Challenges

While Martyn’s Law sets out to bolster public safety, security professionals have voiced pressing questions and concerns about its practical implementation and regulatory framework. At the heart of these discussions lies a fundamental issue: who is qualified and accountable for crafting and enforcing these protective measures? Writing a robust Protect Plan is no small feat—it requires deep expertise, practical experience, and up to date knowledge. Yet, there’s uncertainty about what credentials and experience will be deemed acceptable for those entrusted with this critical task. Will this responsibility fall to consultants with well-established pedigree, or will loopholes, such as “grandfather rights,” allow less qualified individuals to slip through the cracks?

Additionally, concerns have been raised about regulation and enforcement. Will the Security Industry Authority (SIA), which has faced recent criticism, be responsible for overseeing compliance? If so, how can it adapt to effectively manage such an expansive scope, including smaller venues like pubs or hotels? Many fear this could result in a tick-box culture, where businesses prioritise avoiding penalties over genuinely improving safety.

The burden of compliance looms large, particularly for smaller venues and businesses. Who will bear the cost of training staff—often part-time workers like students or those in the gig economy—and writing bespoke security plans? And when plans fail or are poorly enacted, where will accountability land? Some experts warn this could disproportionately affect individuals with minimal training or resources, rather than those with ‘deeper pockets’ who may be better equipped to shoulder the responsibility.

While Martyn’s Law offers an exciting opportunity to enhance public safety, its success hinges on clarifying these ambiguities and striking a balance between practicality, fairness, and effectiveness.

Halo’s commitment to security excellence

Halo is passionate about supporting all businesses and venues to keep people safe, by making our solutions accessible to small events, venues and charity organisations. Our digital safety, security and incident management operations software encourages digital transformation, data-driven decision making and robust audit trails that will help businesses to enhance their safety protocols and operations.

While we await the new legislation, we will continue to help organisations develop, implement, and enhance their security and incident management operations to ensure the safety of the public is a priority now and when the new legislation takes effect.