Martyn’s Law is set to change how many UK organisations approach security and emergency preparedness.

Formally known as the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, the legislation aims to improve preparedness at publicly accessible premises and events in the event of a terrorist attack.

The Act applies across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Government guidance confirms that qualifying premises will generally be those used for specified purposes where it is reasonable to expect 200 or more people to be present at the same time. Premises expecting between 200 and 799 people fall within the standard tier, while enhanced-tier requirements apply at 800 or more.

The substantive requirements are not yet in force, with the Government expecting Martyn’s Law to come into effect in spring 2027.

What will Martyn’s Law require?

At its heart, Martyn’s Law is about preparedness.

Organisations responsible for qualifying premises will need to have appropriate public protection procedures in place, so far as reasonably practicable. Enhanced-tier premises and qualifying events face additional requirements.

That makes this about much more than physical security equipment.

Organisations need to consider questions such as:

• How would we alert people during an incident?
• How would we control access or movement?
• Would evacuation or lockdown be appropriate?
• Do staff understand their roles?
• How does our existing security infrastructure support our response?

Does Martyn’s Law require CCTV?

This is an important distinction.

Martyn’s Law does not simply mandate that every qualifying organisation installs CCTV or particular security products.

The requirements depend on the premises, its tier and what is appropriate and reasonably practicable. The Government also explicitly says organisations should be able to comply without necessarily purchasing specialist third-party services.

However, for organisations reviewing their wider protective security, it makes sense to consider how existing CCTV, access control, alarms, communications and other systems contribute to their overall preparedness.

From security equipment to security strategy

For years, physical security has often been approached system by system: CCTV solves one problem, access control another and alarms another.

That thinking is changing.

Modern security strategies increasingly need to consider how technology, people and procedures work together during an actual incident.

At Spectrum Fire & Security Group, we believe this is one of the most important conversations Martyn’s Law can create.

The question shouldn’t simply be:

“Are we compliant?”

It should be:

“If something happened tomorrow, how well prepared would we actually be?”

That is a much higher standard – and ultimately a far more valuable one.