Philippa Boyd, Senior Security Consultant at Inverroy Crisis Management, explains how readiness protects people
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, known as Martyn’s Law, represents a major evolution in the UK’s approach to public safety. The law introduces a two-tier framework requiring publicly accessible venues to take proportionate steps to protect the public.
Yet as the legislation moves toward implementation, a troubling trend has emerged: a surge of self-styled ‘compliance experts’ and opportunistic vendors offering instant solutions to a regime whose statutory guidance is not yet finalised.
These actors, often newly arrived on the scene, are capitalising on uncertainty, and in doing so, risk undermining the very purpose of the law.
Martyn’s Law spans a wide range of public-facing spaces, from nightclubs and arenas to places of worship, hospitals and museums. However, no organisation can currently be deemed compliant, and no product or course can claim to meet final requirements until the Section 27 guidance is published, expected in the final quarter of the financial year, 2025/26.
Despite this, the legal obligation to manage terrorism risk already exists under current health and safety law, including the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and the Occupiers Liability Act 1957 and 1984. Terrorism is a foreseeable risk and must be treated as such.
Many organisations are beginning to ask tough questions:
- Are we prepared for an attack on our premises?
- Would our staff know what to do?
- How would we work with the police and emergency services?
Inverroy Crisis Management recently led a live multi-agency exercise for a leading commercial operator in the heart of King’s Cross, simulating a no-notice terrorist incident. The scenario tested real-time decision-making, communication and evacuation. It revealed both strengths and vulnerabilities, particularly around role clarity and coordination. These are precisely the insights Martyn’s Law aims to encourage.
What should duty holders do now?
Stay informed – Follow updates from the Home Office, NaCTSO and the SIA.
• Use existing frameworks – Treat terrorism as part of your health, safety and security risk assessments and develop your emergency response plans.
• Vulnerability assessments – Go beyond generic risk assessments by identifying specific weaknesses in your physical, procedural and personnel security layers. These assessments help prioritise improvements and demonstrate a proactive approach to public protection.
• Vet your advisors – Engage only with consultants who have verifiable counterterrorism qualifications and experience.
• Training – Have staff complete the free ProtectUK ACT e-learning and assess what other training you might need.
• Test your plans – Run exercises to identify gaps and build confidence.
The path to full compliance is still unfolding. In the meantime, organisations should resist pressure to invest in unverified compliance schemes. As with any safety-critical discipline, due diligence is key. There are very few genuine counterterrorism specialists in the UK, and even fewer with the operational and legislative depth to guide organisations responsibly.
View the Inverroy case study: bit.ly/sentinel-icmcase