EXPLAINER
Martyn’s Law, in plain English
Last reviewed: June 2026
Martyn’s Law — formally the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 — is about one thing: making sure the places where people gather are prepared to keep them safe if the worst happens. Here’s what it asks, who it covers, and where it stands. We’ve linked the official sources throughout, because this is your duty to understand, not ours to sell to you.
Where it came from
The law is named for Martyn Hett, one of 22 people killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena attack. His mother, Figen Murray, campaigned for years to close the gap the attack exposed — venues that weren’t ready, and people who weren’t told. The Act became law in 2025.
Who’s in scope
It applies across the UK to public premises and events above a size threshold, in two tiers:
Standard tier — 200 to 799 people. Lower-cost, procedure-focused: be ready to reduce harm and get people to safety.
Enhanced tier — 800 or more. Everything in standard tier, plus measures to reduce how vulnerable the premises or event is, documented for the regulator.
Education is in scope, so many schools fall under it. Whether yours does — and in which tier — depends on how many people are reasonably expected on site at once.
Two tiers: standard and enhanced
Which tier you fall into comes down to one thing — the most people who could reasonably be present at the same time, staff and public included.
Standard tier — 200 to 799 people. Notify the Security Industry Authority (SIA) and put simple public protection procedures in place: how you’d evacuate, move people to safety inside (invacuation), lock down, and tell everyone what’s happening. Procedure-focused and low-cost.
Enhanced tier — 800 or more. Everything in the standard tier, plus public protection measures that reduce how vulnerable the site is — written up in a documented assessment, with a named senior person accountable for it.
Premises where fewer than 200 people could be present aren’t in scope.
Schools and education
Education settings are treated as a special case. The Department for Education has confirmed that schools, colleges and similar providers sit in the standard tier regardless of size, and any setting where 200 or more people — pupils, staff and visitors — could be present at once is in scope. Most of what’s asked for (evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication) maps onto the drills schools already run.
What it asks of you
At its core, the standard-tier duty is about procedures, not purchases:
Know what you’d do to get people to safety — evacuate, lock down, or hold in place.
Be able to tell everyone present, quickly, what’s happening and what to do.
Make sure your staff know their part.
You don’t need to buy specialist products to meet it. The government has been clear on that, and no vendor — us included — can make you “compliant” on its own.
Who enforces it
A new function inside the Security Industry Authority (SIA) — the body that already regulates the UK’s private security industry — will oversee Martyn’s Law. Its job is mostly to support, advise and guide. But for serious or repeated non-compliance it can issue compliance notices, monetary penalties and restriction notices, and pursue criminal offences. Once the duty is in force, you’ll register your premises with the SIA.
How to get ready
Nothing is enforceable yet, but the sites that find this easiest will be the ones that start now. A sensible order:
Work out your tier. Estimate the most people who could be present at once — staff included.
Map your procedures. Write down what you’d actually do to evacuate, invacuate, lock down, and communicate.
Pressure-test communication. The weak point is almost always getting a clear message to everyone, fast. Walk through how you’d reach every person on site in seconds.
Train and rehearse. Make sure staff know their part — then run it.
Watch for SIA registration. It opens once the duty commences.
You don’t need to buy specialist products or hire consultants to comply — the Home Office and the SIA have said so plainly, and they don’t endorse any third-party product.
Where it stands
The Act received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025. The government has set an implementation period of at least 24 months, so nothing is enforceable yet — the duty is expected to come into force around spring 2027. That’s breathing room to prepare, not a reason to wait: the requirements are straightforward, but the communication side takes the longest to get right.
Where Share999 fits
Telling everyone present, instantly, is at the heart of the duty — and it’s the hardest part to do well under pressure. That’s the part Share999 exists for: one alert that reaches your whole site and the emergency services at the same moment, with two-way confirmation that people are safe. It won’t write your procedures for you. It’s how you carry them out when seconds count.
Common questions
Is Martyn’s Law the same as the “Protect Duty”?
Yes. “Protect Duty” was the working name during consultation. It became the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, known as Martyn’s Law.
When does Martyn’s Law come into force?
It received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025, followed by an implementation period of at least 24 months. Government guidance expects the duty to take effect around spring 2027 — so there’s time to prepare, but the clock is running.
Does it apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland?
Yes — Martyn’s Law applies across the whole of the UK.
Do I have to buy equipment or hire a consultant to comply?
No. The Home Office has been explicit that premises don’t need to spend money on consultants, and neither the Home Office nor the SIA endorse any third-party product. The duty is about having sound procedures in place.
Who is responsible — the owner or the operator?
The “responsible person” is whoever controls the premises (or the event). For an event held in a venue, that can be the organiser rather than the venue’s owner.