What is Martyn’s Law?

After the Manchester Arena bombing of 2017, many people raised important questions about the safety and security of large-scale public events. One of these people was Figen Murray, mother of Martyn Hett, who led a campaign along with other anti-terrorism organisations to urge the government to respond to this event with new legislation. The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, known as Martyn’s Law, was introduced in May 2023, and is expected to become law in 2024.

How will it affect us?

In its current form, any venue which has a capacity for more than 100 people (standard tier) will have to comply, and venues with a capacity for more than 800 people (enhanced tier) will have additional requirements.

Standard Tier (100-799 capacity)

If you are using a standard tier venue, the requirements are as follows:

• You must notify the Regulator that you are responsible for either a standard tier or enhanced tier premises and therefore subject to the relevant requirements.
• You must have clear procedures put in place that can help reduce, as much as possible, any risk of attack or harm to individuals within the premises. Only the people working at the premises are expected to follow these procedures.

You will be expected to have procedures for:

• Evacuation – how will you safely get people out of the premises?
• Invacuation – how will you safely bring people inside the premises to protect them, or how will you move them to another, safer part of the premises?
• Lockdown – how will you secure the premises against attackers? Do you have doors that can lock, barriers, or closing shutters?
• Communication – how will you alert staff and members of the public and safely move them away from danger?

Enhanced Tier (800+ capacity)

If you are using an enhanced tier venue, the requirements include all the above along with additional requirements:

• Keep and maintain a security document, aided by an assessment of the terrorism risk, which must also be provided to the Regulator.
• If the responsible person is a body corporate, they must appoint someone as the Designated Senior Individual for the event.

Failure to comply with these requirements can result in the Regulator issuing compliance notices and fixed penalties.

How does this affect First Aid event cover?

A Martyn’s Law Regulator will be established to monitor compliance and advise premises. When reaching out to us to provide First Aiders for your event, we must have a copy of your risk assessment to ensure your business is complying with Martyn’s Law. So long as you include the details outlined above, it should not have a significant impact on the way you hire First Aiders for your event.

The bill is expected to become law later this year and further updates will be available on the government and home office websites. To keep up to date, you can visit their websites or contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to learn more about First Aid event cover for your event.