Martyn’s Law, also known as the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, became UK law on the 3rd of April 2025, following a long campaign after the Manchester Arena bombing to improve safety around publicly accessible events with a capacity over 200 people.

The legislation aims to improve preparedness for terrorist incidents and mass-casualty events. Requiring organisations to competently assess the risks, train their staff, and plan emergency responses.

There are potentially significant costs to venues, including event spaces, schools, and sporting stadia, for putting this preparedness in place, aside from just the cost of the protective security risk assessment. There is also the cost of physical and electronic security measures that may need to be installed, as well as the cost of the training, and ongoing management of the Martyn’s Law requirements.

However, although there are costs involved with implementing Martyn’s Law requirements consistently and effectively. There are some cost savings associated with the wider benefits that implementation of Martyn’s Law brings in reducing other types of crime and improving safety.

Emergency preparedness improves overall situational awareness

By training staff about what to look out for from an emergency preparedness perspective, such as trying to identify hostile reconnaissance which can potentially be a precursor to a terrorist attacking, It helps improve the overall situational awareness of your staff.

This effectively means that staff don’t necessarily just pick up on potential hostile reconnaissance. They are also more switched on to suspicious behaviour such as theft, where they might have a retail element in their venues, or pickpocketing of attendees. Or it could be the presence of people in and around the venues who may have an ulterior motive to being there, such as drug dealing.

In addition to this better situational awareness, the Martyn’s Law requirements also support to improve communication channels and reporting. So once suspicious behaviour is identified, such as a potential shoplifter or drug dealer, it is reported and acted upon quicker. Sadly, the Manchester Arena attacker visited the venue at least three times prior to the attack. So there were potential opportunities to deter and disrupt it.

Better security by design reduces everyday crime

Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) is a theory that a design-based security strategy can influence human behaviour.

The Manchester Arena attacker was allowed to walk up and into the venue without being challenged. Which goes against the fundamental theory of having a layered security posture. Which introduces multiple checks prior to someone being able to access a venue. Thus giving venues plenty of opportunity to stop those who may have criminal intent prior to them reaching their goal. A theory that also supports in stopping people getting into venues who don’t have tickets. Plus, means that in the event of an incident, such as dealing with an intoxicated attendee, they are dealt with as far from the venue as possible. Rather than waiting until they are inside the venue and presenting their ticket, then having to remove them.

Importantly, the Martyn’s Law requirements also make venues think about how they can use venue design to evacuate quickly and safely in the event of an incident. This efficient evacuation also supports to reduce conflict. As evacuating a venue at the end of an evening, especially where alcohol is sold, can often be a flashpoint for conflict and violence.

Other practical design improvements under security by design are the installation of effective electronic security measures such as lighting and CCTV outside of a venue. Which also supports in deterring criminals such as pickpockets, who prefer poorly lit and unmonitored areas to commit their crimes. Especially towards the end of a night where attendees leaving a venue may be intoxicated and therefore in a more vulnerable state.

Additional lighting and CCTV installation also supports to reduce anti-social behaviour, vandalism, and petty drug use on the perimeter of the venue. As those people who perpetrate this, don’t often want to get caught or be recorded on CCTV. So the lighting and CCTV can act as a deterrent to it.

Staff training builds confidence to engage under the Martyn’s Law requirements

By training your staff in emergency preparedness, it also has the wider advantage of helping reduce overall crime by building their confidence to engage with people. The power of hello is a theory where just by engaging and saying hello, you can gauge a person’s intent. It might be that the person you engage with is completely innocent. But it might be that they are about to commit a criminal act, and your engagement with them is enough to deter them.

But without training your staff and empowering them to make decisions about situations they have identified, without having to go up a chain of command and verify through management structures, it’s more likely that they will let the suspicious behaviour happen, and not report it.

This is where the outer layer of security protection can be really effective. By managing this outer area of the venue that can be frequented by pickpockets and drug dealers, and engaging with people who look suspicious to deter them from committing their crimes in that area. Therefore improving overall safety for attendees arriving and departing the venue.

Better communication improves emergency services engagement 

The Manchester Arena bombing created a line in the sand for venues, the emergency services, and local community to work better together. Martyn’s Law created a situation where all parties realised that with better communication, they have a greater ability to deter or disrupt terrorist behaviour. These communication channels can also be used to reduce wider levels of crime and improve response times to a non-terrorist related incident. Which often supports in reducing the likelihood of an incident escalating, such as drunken behaviour and conflict that you may see at a late-night venue, and stopping it before it becomes any more than shouting and minor aggravation.

The use of Police Community Support Officers are also key to this relationship development, as their presence and posture as a deterrent around venues under the Martyn’s Law requirements, also supports to reduce wider crime and anti-social behaviour.

Building a stronger safety and preparedness culture with the Martyn’s Law requirements

Developing preparedness around Martyn’s Law, also supports to improve overall preparedness to a wider range of more serious incidents.

By developing plans for dealing with a mass-casualty situation, evacuating a venue, or coordinating with the emergency services as is required under Martyn’s Law, it supports to manage incidents such as the aftermath of the Manchester Arena Bombing. It also supports to build robustness to other more serious incidents, such as fire, a stabbing, a crowd crush, or large-scale brawl.

Management teams within venues can use their Martyn’s Law preparation and response plans, and adapt them to support in managing these more serious incident types. Which makes managing them much more effective.

Where venues have developed table-top exercises to train for situations under the Martyn’s Law requirements such as a mass-stabbing or finding an improvised explosive device. These desktop exercises can also be adapted to train in managing this wider range of serious incident. Improving the ability of the venue’s senior leadership team to deal with the most serious incidents.

Safer venues improve overall public confidence

By managing venues in line with Martyn’s Law requirements, you also enhance overall safety around the venue. Improving queue and crowd management reduces the risk of crush injuries. Ensuring venues can be evacuated quickly helps to minimise the potential for conflict. Deterring and disrupting crime, alongside improving lighting and CCTV, reduces the likelihood of attendees becoming victims of crime.

Together, these measures increase public confidence in your venue and make potential customers more likely to attend your events. In addition, improving the overall customer experience encourages people to arrive earlier because the venue is welcoming and well managed. Once there, they are also more likely to spend more money, particularly when factors such as queue times are reduced.

The prevention mindset

Sadly Martyn’s Law came into effect in the most tragic of circumstances where 22 people were killed and hundreds more injured in the Manchester Arena bombing. But if some positive can come from this horrific incident, it’s that venues have improved their overall emergency preparedness. Should a similar attack occur again, the actions of those responsible for venue safety can significantly reduce the impact of a potential terrorist attack or mass-casualty event. Or, ensure that the incident is managed more effectively if the attack should come to some form of fruition.

Aside from the management of a terrorist incident or mass-casualty event. There are other associated wider benefits from implementing Martyn’s Law effectively. Overall preparedness for a serious incident, such as a fire, serious violence, or large-scale disorder is improved. Staff are better trained and more confident to deal with all types of suspicious behaviour. Communication channels between venues and the emergency services are more effective, and the prevention mindset develops the overall safety culture, making venues safer places in general for the public to attend.

The post Martyn’s Law Requirements, Reducing Crime and Improving Safety appeared first on Security and Safety Solutions.