The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act (aka Martyn’s Law, or the Protect Duty) received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025. The Act introduces a legal duty across both the public and private sectors in the UK to close gaps in public safety legislation by ensuring organisations plan how they would respond to a terrorist attack, and consider appropriate steps and mitigations to reduce their vulnerability to terrorist attacks through improving protective security and organisational preparedness.
The law is named in honour of Martyn Hett, a young man who – along with 21 others - was killed in the May 2017 Manchester Arena terrorist attack. Following the tragedy, an official public inquiry highlighted significant organisational unpreparedness, flawed security coordination, and inadequate emergency response plans at the venue. Martyn’s mother, Figen Murray OBE, launched a relentless multi-year campaign to champion introduction of the legislation, and ensure that lessons were learned about the vulnerabilities in publicly accessible venues and steps taken to mitigate these.
Full compliance with the Act is expected by April 2027, therefore there is a pressing requirement on organisations to proactively establish their response across all relevant key areas as required by the Act. Universities are specifically mentioned as falling into the ‘Enhanced Tier’ which requires us to comply with stricter duties, including documented comprehensive risk assessments, detailed security and response plans, designated roles and responsibilities, and enhanced training and security measures.
Compliance with the Act is mandatory and will impact on all aspects of how the University operates day to day. The legislation bridges the gap between the embedded community expectation of an ‘open campus’ and the evolution of modern security threats. University environments are extremely complex, and implementation of the Act is not just about legal compliance or avoiding the substantial financial penalties; it is now a fundamental duty of care.
As a result, a programme board has been set up to oversee implementation of the requirements of the legislation.
Security of our staff, students and community is a collective and shared responsibility, and we are committed to supporting and moving our community culture towards embedding the legal requirements and protection of people as operational norms – in the same way that we now consider fire safety.
This page will share updates on how the University will implement the legislation as the programme progresses, including impacts for us around day to day activities, mandatory and free training, guidance and resources, and FAQs.
Bookable information sessions on the law and what it means for the University are available on the staff development website.
Please keep an eye out on StaffHub for more information in the coming months.
Further information
- Martyn's Law | ProtectUK – Main ProtectUK website
- Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025: Martyn’s Law – 1 page overview
- Enhanced tier | ProtectUK – information about the requirements in relation to the Enhanced Tier category
- Good security practice | ProtectUK – information relating to good security practice, including ACT e-learning and ScAN training
FAQs
- What is Martyn’s Law?
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Martyn’s Law, officially known as the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, introduces new legal duties for those responsible for publicly accessible venues and events to improve protection against terrorist attacks. It is also sometimes referred to as the ‘Protect Duty’.
The Act aims to improve organisational preparedness and protective security across the UK, requiring that those responsible for certain premises and events take active steps to prepare for potential terrorist attacks and help keep people safe in the event of an attack. In addition, certain larger premises and events are required to consider their vulnerability to acts of terrorism, and, where appropriate, take steps to reduce those vulnerabilities.
It requires organisations to formally assess the risk of a terrorist act, implement proportionate safety measures, and train staff to respond effectively.
The Act is named after Martyn Hett, a young man who (along with 21 others) was killed in the Manchester Arena terrorist attack in 2017. The law aims to create a consistent, proportionate approach to counter-terrorism preparedness across the UK.
- Why is the law important?
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Martyn’s Law is important because it standardises and legally mandates counter-terrorism preparedness across public spaces in the UK, ensuring that these are equipped to protect the public.
The law addresses dangerous gaps in safety by closing the loophole where counter-terrorism security was largely optional for publicly accessible venues.
This is also important because creating preparedness plans and test situations can help to make our staff more confident in their response during an actual emergency. Learned behaviour increases self-assurance and confidence, which will help if they ever experience the situation for real.
- What are the qualifying activities for Martyn’s Law?
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The qualifying activities under Martyn’s Law, officially known as the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, refer to activities where the public has access to a venue or premises. These activities are listed in Schedule 1 of the Act and include:
- Entertainment and leisure – such as concerts, theatres, and cinemas.
- Food and drink – restaurants, pubs, and cafes.
- Visitor attractions – historic sites and tourist destinations
- Libraries, museums and galleries – publically accessible cultural venues
- Sports – stadiums, arenas, and sporting events.
- Higher Education – Universities and higher learning institutions.
- Further Education – colleges and vocational institutes
- Health care – hospitals, clinics, and medical facilities.
- Public services – including government buildings and town halls.
- Places of worship – churches, mosques, and temples.
Martyn’s Law sets out a two-tier system based on the maximum number of people expected to be on the premises at any one time:
- Standard Tier: premises with a capacity of 200 to 799 people
- Enhanced Tier: premises with a capacity of 800 or more people
- What does this mean for the University?
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Universities are specifically defined in schedule 1 of the Act and qualify as Enhanced Tier premises.
There are stricter compliance requirements for larger premises qualifying as Enhanced Tier.
- What will the impact be for the University?
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There will be an impact on the University around how it runs day to day, and some long-established procedures will have to change.
The University consists of circa 75 buildings, and the law applies at the individual premises level. Specific risk assessments are required for all buildings.
The University is proud of being accessible and ‘Open to All’. However, Martyn's Law will require us all to understand there is a need for a fundamental institutional culture shift – this will include issues such as accepting there will be tighter access control and structured security measures and normalising these.
Higher education institutions routinely host high-capacity, publicly accessible events – including graduation ceremonies, academic conferences, political debates, Welcome Week and other student activities – drawing in staff, students and members of the public. We have a duty of care to take measures to protect them.
- What does Martyn’s Law require the University to do?
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- Conduct a Threat and Risk Assessment
- Identify vulnerabilities in the event of a terrorist attack and implement policies and procedures to deal with specific terrorist threats
- Control access, egress and movement around the University
- Establish clear procedures for dealing with attacks such as invacuation, evacuation and lockdowns
- Ensure that all staff at the University undertake training so they understand what to do in the event of an attack, and how to recognise suspicious activities
This means we will have to review:
- All our security arrangements and emergency arrangements will require review including access control, CCTV, security of information, etc
- Access arrangements for buildings across campus – who, when, why, and how
- There will be strict requirements for ANYONE organising any event of any sort – this includes student events, public events, lectures, talks, exhibitions, tours, engagement activities, Open Days, Graduation, etc.
- How University space is controlled, booked and secured for activities so that there are appropriate records of on-site activities at all times
- Who enforces Martyn’s Law?
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Martyn’s Law is enforced by the Security Industry Authority (SIA), which acts as the regulator.
The SIA has powers to oversee compliance, carry out inspections, issue enforcement notices, and impose civil penalties on premises that fail to meet their duties under the legislation.
- What does enforcement mean?
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Under Martyn’s Law (Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025), penalties for non-compliance are structured according to the tier of the premises or event. As the University falls into the Enhanced tier, fines can reach up to £18 million or 5% of the organisation’s global revenue, whichever is higher – so noncompliance carries significant financial penalties and risk of reputational damage.
These penalties are designed to ensure that duty holders implement appropriate security measures to protect the public from potential terrorist threats.
- What can I do?
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Training, information and other documentation relating to Martyn’s Law are available on the ProtectUK website.
The University is currently running information sessions through the Staff Development Pages which are designed to give staff an overview of the legislation and the requirements – (LINK)
Keep an eye on StaffHub for further updates on training and the University’s progress toward complying with Martyn’s Law.