Martyn’s Law draft bill – call for evidence

The UK Government has published the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) draft Bill, as part of the response to the Manchester Arena bombing.

On 24 May the Parliamentary Home Affairs Select Committee issued a call for evidence for pre-legislative scrutiny which closes on 23 June 2023. AIM is working with sector partners to aggregate feedback for that call. To contribute your feedback, email the AIM team here>>

The proposed legislation known as “Martyn’s Law” aims to ensure that certain venues, such as museums, are better prepared and protected against terrorist attacks. The law will require these venues to take appropriate measures based on the size and nature of their activities. The legislation introduces two tiers: a standard tier for venues with a capacity of 100 to 799 people, and an enhanced tier for venues with a capacity of 800 or more.

Standard tier premises will be obligated to implement basic and cost-effective measures to enhance their preparedness. This includes providing terrorism protection training to staff and assessing and implementing the most effective procedures to minimize the impact of an attack.

Enhanced tier premises and events have additional requirements, these include appointing a designated senior officer responsible for regularly reviewing the venue’s security measures.

To ensure compliance, an inspection and enforcement system will be established to oversee the requirements for each tier. In cases of non-compliance, sanctions and penalties may be imposed on the premises.

For more detailed information, the UK Gov has recently updated its Martyn’s Law Factsheet.

AIM is working to aggregate feedback for the call for evidence. To contribute, email the AIM team here>>