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The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, widely known as Martyn's Law, marks the most significant change to public protection legislation in two decades. For London venues, the implications are wide-ranging. The capital hosts a higher concentration of qualifying premises than anywhere else in the country, from West End theatres and Stratford arenas to the City's corporate event spaces, hotels, hospitality venues and large retail destinations across Greater London.
This guide explains what Martyn's Law requires, when it comes into force, which London venues fall in scope, and the practical steps responsible persons should be taking now. 1st Class Protection works alongside facilities managers, event producers and estates teams across the capital, and our SIA licensed officers play a central role in helping clients meet the new statutory expectations.
Martyn's Law is the common name for the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025. The Act received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025. It is named in memory of Martyn Hett, one of the 22 people killed in the Manchester Arena attack in 2017, and follows a sustained campaign led by his mother, Figen Murray OBE.
The legislation places a statutory duty on those responsible for certain qualifying premises and events to prepare for, and reduce the risk of harm from, a terrorist attack. The Act sits alongside the wider CONTEST counter-terrorism strategy and does not replace any other legal duty, including those under the Health and Safety at Work Act, the Equality Act, the Licensing Act or fire safety legislation.
For London venues, the Act introduces a clear, tiered framework with specific requirements based on the number of individuals reasonably expected to be present.
The Government has set an implementation period of at least 24 months from Royal Assent. Active regulation is expected from Spring 2027.
The Home Office published its section 27 statutory guidance on 15 April 2026, setting out how those in scope can meet the Act's requirements. The Security Industry Authority (SIA), confirmed as the regulator, is currently consulting on its section 12 guidance, which will set out how it intends to inspect and enforce.
London venues should not wait until 2027 to act. The lead time is intended to give operators room to embed procedures, train staff and budget for any physical measures, not to defer engagement. Early preparation reduces risk and operational disruption later.
The Act applies to qualifying premises and events that meet specific capacity and activity thresholds. Two tiers determine the duties.
Premises where it is reasonable to expect that 200 to 799 individuals (including staff) may be present at the same time fall within the standard tier. Many London venues sit here, including independent theatres, mid-sized hotels, bars and restaurants, places of worship, conference rooms, smaller gallery spaces and event venues used for private hire.
Premises where 800 or more individuals (including staff) may be present fall within the enhanced tier. London has a particularly high concentration of these, including major venues across the West End, Stratford, Wembley, Greenwich and Southbank, larger hotels, department stores, university lecture halls and stadia. All qualifying events meeting the capacity threshold are also treated as an enhanced tier.
For standard-tier premises, the focus is on simple, low-cost procedural measures rather than capital expenditure. The Act requires responsible persons to notify the SIA that they are responsible for the premises through the regulator's new registration system, which is currently being built.
Responsible persons must also put in place, so far as is reasonably practicable, appropriate public protection procedures designed to reduce the risk of physical harm if an attack were to occur on or near the premises. The section 27 guidance identifies four core procedural areas: evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication.
Evacuation refers to safely moving people out of a venue. Invacuation, less familiar to many operators, refers to bringing people into the building or to a safer internal location when the external threat is greater. Lockdown procedures secure the premises against intruders. Communication covers how staff, visitors and emergency services are alerted and updated.
Training staff to understand and execute these procedures is the central operational task. The Government has been explicit that paid third-party consultants are not required to achieve compliance.
Enhanced tier premises and qualifying events carry the standard tier duties plus a further set of requirements. Responsible persons must, so far as is reasonably practicable, have in place appropriate public protection measures to reduce the venue's vulnerability to a terrorist attack and the physical harm an attack could cause.
The Act and supporting guidance identify the kinds of measures enhanced tier sites may need to consider. These include monitoring such as CCTV with active oversight, bag and item searches, vehicle checks at the point of entry, controls on access to non-public areas, and the use of trained security personnel to support the venue's procedures.
Enhanced tier operators must also document their compliance, designate a senior individual responsible for the duty, and ensure that the senior individual has visibility of decisions taken under the Act.
For London venues in this tier, the implications are operational and commercial. Decisions about staffing levels, security technology, queue management and entry processes all need to be made with the Act in mind. This is where qualified, SIA-licensed officers add the most value.
The Security Industry Authority will regulate Martyn's Law through a new function being built during the implementation period. This is the same SIA that already licenses individual security operatives across the United Kingdom, so the regulator already understands the operational realities of the private security sector.
The SIA's approach is described as supportive, proportionate and risk-based. Smaller venues will receive advice and improvement support before any enforcement action. For serious or persistent non-compliance, the Act provides for compliance notices, restriction notices and monetary penalties. The Act also creates a small number of criminal offences for the most serious breaches.
Notably, neither the Home Office nor the SIA endorses third-party compliance products. The intent is that responsible persons can meet their obligations using the freely available statutory guidance.
There are several steps London venues can take in 2026 to be ready when the Act commences. The most immediate is to confirm which tier the venue falls into, based on realistic capacity assumptions, not just licensed maximums. London venues with flexible spaces should consider the highest credible occupancy.
Review existing emergency procedures against the four procedural areas: evacuation, invacuation, lockdown, and communication. Many London venues have strong fire evacuation procedures, but have never formally exercised invacuation or lockdown.
Map roles and responsibilities. Who is the responsible person? Who would be the senior individual under the enhanced tier? Who briefs new starters? Who coordinates with neighbouring premises and the local police?
Audit existing physical security. For enhanced tier sites, look at access control, monitoring, search capability and vehicle approaches rather than in isolation. Many older London buildings need creative, sympathetic solutions that respect both the heritage of the property and the obligations of the operator.
Engage your security provider. The role of SIA licensed officers shifts under Martyn's Law from front-of-house presence to active support of statutory public protection procedures. Training, briefing and exercising matter as much as headcount. Enhanced tier venues will also need a documented compliance trail showing decisions taken and procedures embedded.
1st Class Protection works exclusively across London, with experienced SIA licensed officers operating in event venues, hospitality, retail, corporate buildings and high-footfall public spaces. Our teams understand the operational realities of central London premises, from the early-evening shift change in a West End theatre to the daily peak inside a City office reception. We support venues with event security deployments, ongoing manned guarding contracts, mobile patrols across multi-site portfolios, and concierge security for residential and commercial buildings. Every front-line officer is SIA licensed, vetted to BS 7858 where applicable, and trained to recognise and respond to security threats, including those covered by the Protect Duty.
If your London venue is reviewing readiness for Martyn's Law, contact 1st Class Protection. We can help align your security operation with the statutory requirements and the practical realities of running a venue in the capital.
Martyn's Law, formally the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025. The Government has set an implementation period of at least 24 months. Active regulation by the Security Industry Authority is expected from Spring 2027. London venues should use the implementation period to embed procedures and train staff, not to defer engagement until the deadline approaches.
The Act applies to qualifying premises and events that conduct certain activities and meet capacity thresholds. The standard tier covers premises where 200 to 799 individuals (including staff) may reasonably be present. The enhanced tier covers premises and qualifying events where 800 or more individuals (including staff) may be present. Many London theatres, hotels, conference venues, stadia and large retail destinations fall within scope.
The Act does not specifically mandate the use of licensed security officers, but in practice, many enhanced tier venues will need them to operate measures such as bag searches, monitoring and access control. 1st Class Protection's SIA licensed officers, vetted to BS 7858 where applicable, are well placed to support both standard and enhanced tier London venues in meeting their procedural duties.
Evacuation means moving people safely out of a venue when the threat is inside or close by. Invacuation means bringing people into the venue or to a safer internal area when the external threat is greater. Lockdown means securing the premises against intruders, restricting access and movement. All three are core procedural areas under Martyn's Law and require briefed staff to execute.
The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is the regulator under the Act. Its new function is being built during the implementation period and is expected to be operational in Spring 2027. The SIA will provide guidance, run a notification system for in-scope premises, conduct inspections and, where appropriate, take enforcement action ranging from compliance notices to monetary penalties for serious breaches.
For most standard-tier London venues, the focus is on procedures and staff training rather than significant capital spend. Enhanced tier venues may need to invest in measures such as CCTV monitoring, search equipment or access control, but the legal test is what is reasonably practicable for the size and risk profile of the premises. The Act is intentionally proportionate rather than prescriptive on technology.
No. The Home Office and the SIA have been explicit that premises and events do not need to engage third-party consultants to meet the Act's requirements. Statutory guidance is freely available on GOV.UK and ProtectUK. London venues that want operational support can work with their existing SIA-licensed security provider to implement procedures, train teams and exercise plans.
1st Class Protection provides London-wide manned guarding, event security, concierge security, mobile patrols and close protection. Our SIA licensed officers can support procedural training, exercise of evacuation and invacuation plans, search and screening operations, and front-of-house deployments aligned to enhanced tier expectations. We work alongside operators across the capital and offer a written risk assessment before any deployment.
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