The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 3^rd April 2025. This Acts intends to build on the Protect and Prepare element of the broader counter terrorism strategy (CONTEST). To do this it intends to identify those responsible for an event or premises, require those responsible to plan for a potential terrorist attack and enforce the implementation of terrorist attack precautions.

More frequently referred to as Martyn’s Law; this legislation has come about as a direct result of the Manchester Arena Attacks, in May 2017. Martyn Hett was one of the 22 victims that lost their lives in this attack, and his mother Figen Murray (OBE) has campaigned to get the law changed to ensure that event organisers or premises owners are responsible for preparing, training and responding to the threat of terrorist attacks.

Though we are still awaiting details about how this law will be fully implemented; there are some significant and prevalent precautions that organisers, premises owners and security professionals may need to consider at this stage.

This Act breaks events and premises down into 2 tiers:

• Standard Tier: 200-799 people
• Enhanced Tier: 800+ people

Standard and enhanced tiers must:

1. Notify the Security Industry Authority (SIA) who is responsible for a location or event.
2. Implement a reasonable Public Protection Procedure to reduce the risk of harm to anyone attending an event or venue, if there was a terrorist attack at the location or nearby.

This Public Protection Procedure will need to be appropriately scaled in accordance with the size of the event space, the number of attendees, its location and the threat level.

Standard Tier: refers to smaller premises and events. The Act requires those responsible to take reasonable action to protect their staff and members of the public in the event of an attack. These precautions could be as simple as planning a safe route, fitting secure doors, providing clear information and training staff. However, dependant on the space, location and event type, further precautions such as CCTV and bag check policies may need to be implemented.

Enhanced Tier refers to much larger events or spaces that have a much higher level of attendance. This tier often encompasses everything from train stations and shopping centres, to sports stadiums and concert venues. These locations not only have higher numbers of visitors, but are often perceived to have a higher level of threat.

Enhance Tier premises and events will be required to build upon the precautions taken by the standard tier, and will be expected to take much more stringent measures to protect attendees.

These measures include event organisers and venues taking reasonable practice to:

• Assess a venues vulnerability to terrorist attack: This could include anything from blast or knife threats, to hostile vehicle mitigation (HVM).
• Implement precautions and measures (such as bag and ticket checks) to protect a premises from terrorist attack.
• Reduce the risk of physical harm to individuals if an attack occurred at the event or nearby.
• Document the Public Protection Procedures and the threat mitigation precautions that have been taken, and supply to the Security Industry Authority (SIA).

All these measures are subject to ‘reasonable practice’, and require the organisers and/or owners to take responsibility for identifying potential threats, before mitigating these threats with appropriate precautions.

How Can DJ Goode Help?

DJ Goode are an industry leading firm of consulting and test engineers that specialise in threat mitigation. We’re perfectly positioned to help businesses, premises, event organisers and security professionals understand and implement the changes this new law requires.

With over 30 years of experience, DJ Goode are able to provide a comprehensive service that includes:

• Counter terrorism advice
• Electronic & physical security design
• Weapons effects on structures
• Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM) services
• Blast & ballistic design
• Explosive safety & training facilities

So from start to finish, our team of experts are there to help you identify threats, assess the risks and implement the precautions.

At this stage it is still a little unclear how the law is going to be implemented, but our team are available to discuss any concerns or questions you may have about how this may affect you and your business.

If you would like to discuss your project with us, please contact us via our website www.djgoode.com, via email at info@djgoode.co.uk, or by phone on (+00) 01284 827472

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