Last week was the first King's speech in 70 years and Martyn's Law Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill was included. The Protect Duty, now known as Martyns Law, was a tribute to Martyn Hett, who was killed alongside 21 others in the Manchester Arena Terror attack in 2017. The original expectation was this would be introduced in 2023, in the Kings speech, he only said it would be laid out before parliament in the coming months, so its unlikely we will see this before Christmas. This new legislation will have a huge impact on venues and crowded public spaces, meaning owners of venues and local authorities who will have to be in readiness for the change. We have already spoken to businesses who have begun that preparation, which will include: consideration of risk assessments leading to a range of emergency plans and procedures being in place undertaking staff training and awareness-raising employing security systems, processes and measures to mitigate threats. This bill will increase the security standards across the UK, using a tiered model, which impacts any Leisure establishment with a capacity of over 100 and has an enhanced tier which will affect events such as festivals with a capacity of over 800 or more. This new bill firmly places the requirement on the person who has control of the premises and until it receives Royal Assent, there are recommendations from ProtectUK on their website, and they have provided a variety of videos from industry and campaigners, giving details of how they are currently implementing proportionate measures and activities, which, if done, well enhance the experience of customers and staff. If you are looking for competent, well-trained security personnel for your venue or event, talk to our security desk at Axiom Personnel today. Ella.brown@axiompersonnel.co.uk
