The UK has a new law which recently received royal assent. Officially, it’s called the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act. But it is more commonly known as Martyn’s Law, named in memory of Martyn Hett, who sadly lost his life in the Manchester Arena terror attack in 2017. For access control installers and any venues that hold more than 200 people, it’s essential to understand this law and how to comply with it.
What are the goals of Martyn’s Law?
The primary objective of Martyn’s Law is to reduce the vulnerability of venues to terrorist attacks and reduce the risk of physical harm to people in the event of an attack. The law details several things that those responsible for venues must do to comply. These include:
- Those responsible for qualifying premises must consider the risk of terrorism and think about how they would respond in the event of an attack.
- Venues must take reasonable actions to both mitigate the risk of an attack and reduce physical harm caused in the event of one.
Access control is one of the areas significantly impacted by this law. Venues should consider elements such as:
- how people get into and out of buildings;
- designated escape routes and emergency exits;
- what kind of locks are fitted to escape doors;
- panic hardware for escape doors
- emergency lockdown procedures.
What premises does Martyn’s Law apply to?
There are two tiers accounted for in Martyn’s Law, according to the capacity of the premises. The standard tier covers anywhere that more than 200 people, but fewer than 800 people, may gather at any one time. For example, premises like cinemas, wedding venues, concert halls, and many schools are likely to fall into this category.
Any venue with capacity for more than 800 people at any one time is considered an enhanced duty premises with more stringent regulations. This higher tier may apply to venues such as stadiums, arenas, and visitor attractions. The additional requirements include the nomination of a specific person responsible for these emergency procedures, and the production and maintenance of official documentation of the procedures.
There are some specific types of premises which are excluded from the law. These include government buildings, parks and gardens, transport security, and individual events at venues like places of worship and schools.
What are the penalties for not complying with Martyn’s Law?
Martyn’s Law is an important new law for venues and premises to consider in the immediate future. The government has allowed a two-year period from the introduction of the law when it will not be enforced. But after that point in April 2027, venues will be subject to the penalties for contravening the law. For standard tier premises, contravening Martyn’s Law results in a £10,000 fine, plus £500 a day if the identified issues are not rectified. In the higher tier of enhanced duty premises, the consequences are more severe. Penalties could be a fine of anything up to £18 million, or 5% of qualifying global revenue. The daily penalty rate for failing to rectify issues in higher tier premises is £50,000 per day.
What do venues and installers need to do next?
First, venues must establish whether or not they fall into one of the two qualifying categories for Martyn’s Law. If those responsible for a premises find that the law does apply, then they must act quickly. They must carry out assessments to analyse the risk and escape procedures relating to terrorism in the premises. Then, they must identify what measures can be taken to mitigate those risks.
Installers will be an important part of call at this stage. Venues must identify where they can upgrade or implement security and access control systems that support their risk management and emergency escape strategies. The government has allowed an implementation period of up to two years. But planning and executing a new installation or an upgrade of existing systems can take a long time to organise, so we strongly recommend a ‘sooner rather than later’ approach.
CDVI solutions for complying with Martyn’s Law
Online access control emergency lockdown
ATRIUM online access control is a simple way to manage access throughout sites large and small. For premises considering their compliance with Martyn’s Law, the emergency lockdown function that comes as standard with ATRIUM ticks a lot of boxes. Lockdown is an immediate response status for crisis situations. Site managers can configure lockdown to do whatever they want in an emergency: instantly lock all the doors, instantly unlock all the doors, or create clearly defined escape corridors that drive occupants to quickly and safely exit the building.
ATRIUM offers multiple methods of triggering lockdown. Site managers can do it in just a couple of clicks from within the ATRIUM software. Or an authorised person with a lockdown-enabled card can do it from a lockdown-enabled reader. Or, for even quicker reactions, other inputs such as a fire alarm or a panic button can instantly initiate lockdown.
However your site triggers lockdown, the readers flash rapidly purple and red, and doors immediately lock or unlock as configured in the ATRIUM software. You may also consider instant email alerts or the incorporation of lighting to clearly indicate the escape route. Many premises set up lockdown so that doors can be opened from inside a room to allow safe egress, but not from outside the room. This forces occupants to move along the designated escape route to safely exit the building. Moreover, in an emergency situation, ATRIUM enables swift and safe room clearance procedures, with lockdown-enabled cards disabling the lockdown for each room as it is checked and cleared as safe.
Locking and lighting
Choosing the right products is an essential part of planning for emergencies. And our locks and emergency trigger buttons are ideal for organisations reconsidering their crisis protocols under Martyn’s Law.
ML-350-PL-12/24
The ML-350 is an electric lock that packs a punch. It delivers up to 650kg of holding force, a bi-directional snib, and suitability for double action doors. For emergency situations, the ML-350 operates under up to 225kg of sideload, meaning even with someone pushing on the door, the electric lock releases as expected. In addition, it is fire rated for up to 60 minutes under EN14846, and lock status monitoring means that site managers can keep an eye on any incidents.
V3SR & V5SR
Our V Series maglocks are safe, secure, and cost-effective. With 300kg or 500kg of holding force, they deliver a reliable locking solution that withstands significant force and keeps doors robustly shut in a crisis. Or, if configured as an escape route, they instantly disengage to allow free egress. With patented LED lighting at the top of the magnet, they are clearly visible from a distance with different colours indicating the status of the lock. In an emergency, this helps drive people towards safe exit routes even in the dark or in a dusty or smoky environment.
EM301-LS
This triple-pole emergency door release instantly triggers the unlock of designated doors in an emergency. And as a resettable device, it requires just a key to reset after being activated. It’s monitored for a better overview of the site and has an optional protective cover to prevent accidental activation. Moreover, for emergency situations, the EM301-LS is equipped with lighting and a sounder.
Advice on implementing Martyn’s Law
Venues and businesses looking to review their security and emergency procedures to comply with Martyn’s Law have two years to implement changes. So, it’s not time to panic just yet. But it is time to begin the process of reviewing your current status and identifying any gaps that need to be filled before the deadline in 2027. If you don’t have this knowledge in-house, seek advice as soon as possible. ProtectUK is a good place to start. They provide free guidance and advice to businesses to improve the response to the risk of terrorism.
For more information on ATRIUM lockdown or any of the other solutions outlined in this article, contact CDVI through any of our usual channels.
For a more in-depth understanding of Martyn’s Law, please refer to the following official sources:
