‘Martyn’s Law’, a tribute to Martyn Hett who was killed alongside 21 others in the UK’s Manchester Arena terrorist attack in 2017, is currently passing through the UK Parliament and will have an impact on hospitality venues across the UK once it is passed into legislation.
Forming part of The UK Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, under Martyn’s Law, venues and other organisations will have to meet to ensure public safety.
Key Points about Martyn’s Law
- Martyn’s Law will keep people safe, enhance the UK’s national security and reduce the risk to the public from terrorism by the protection of public venues
- It will place a requirement on those responsible for certain locations to consider the threat from terrorism and implement appropriate and proportionate mitigation measures
- The legislation will ensure parties are prepared, ready to respond and know what to do in the event of an attack. Better protection will be delivered through enhanced security systems, staff training, and clearer processes
- Premises will fall within the scope of the duty where “qualifying activities” take place. This will include locations for purposes such as entertainment and leisure, retail, food and drink, museums and galleries, sports grounds, public areas of local and central government buildings (e.g. town halls), visitor attractions, temporary events, places of worship, health, and education
- It is proposed that ‘duty ‘will apply to eligible premises which are either: a building (including collections of buildings used for the same purposes, e.g. a campus); or a location/event (including a temporary event) that has a defined boundary, allowing capacity to be known. Eligible locations whose maximum occupancy meets the above-specified thresholds will then be drawn into the relevant tier
- Premises will be drawn into the scope of the ‘duty’ if they meet the following three tests:
- That the premises are eligible – i.e., building or event with a defined boundary
- That a qualifying activity takes place at the location; and
- That the maximum occupancy of the premises meets a specified threshold – either 100+ or 800+
To learn more about Martyn’s Law follow this link
