Protection of workers and the public at premises and events
Following the attacks at the Manchester Arena in 2017, draft legislation in the form of The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, known as ‘Martyn’s Law’, was put forward on 12 September 2024 to protect the public from further attacks. For more information on the background to the new Bill, see the Government’s Martyn’s Law Factsheet.
What sort of premises?
- Food and drink retail
- Entertainment and leisure activities
- Sports grounds
- Libraries, museums and galleries
- Public halls
- Visitor attractions
- Healthcare facilities
- Hotels and university campus'
The new rules affect premises with a capacity of 200 people or more.
Who is responsible?
Charities or trading subsidiaries responsible for such premises.
What are our responsibilities?
To implement "reasonably practicable" public protection procedures and/or measures and these depend on the capacity of the premises. Enhanced Tier premises and events (800+ persons) will also need to take steps to reduce the vulnerability to terrorist attacks.
An inspection and enforcement regime will be set up, with sanctions for serious breaches.
How long do we have?
Probably about 18 months to 2 years to get ready once the legislation is finalised – at the time of writing it is still in the House of Lords Committee stage.
Next steps
There is time to get ready, but charities should consider the planning the following:
- Basic terrorism risk assessments to identify potential threats to their premises
- Simple protective measures such as staff training on emergency responses
- Plans for securing the premises during an incident, such as locking doors or creating safe routes
- Establish evacuation procedures and designate safe areas
Enhanced tier premises will need to undertake more rigorous assessments and implement more advanced security measures.
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