The benchmarking platform by the Association of University Chief Security Officers (Aucso) for members has new data measures, including institutional readiness for Martyn’s Law. Aucso’s Benchmarking Report was launched in 2025, as a live, sector-wide intelligence tool, shaped by members.
Now comprising 92 university profiles from institutions across the UK, Republic of Ireland and overseas, the platform is providing insights into how higher education security teams are structured, resourced and evolving. The association for uni heads of security says its platform is being refined in response to member discussions and emerging sector priorities. Member forums, and recurring questions around security-to-student ratios, team structures, shift patterns and technology use, have informed the platform’s development. Aucso says that while data is already enabling meaningful comparisons in areas such as workforce scale and operating models, gaps identified by members are now being addressed through new, targeted data points.
Julie Barker, Chief Operating Officer of Aucso, said: “What has been most powerful about the benchmarking programme is how quickly it has become something the sector actively uses and shapes. We are not simply collecting data – we are listening to our members, responding to the questions they are asking, and building a tool that reflects the realities of modern university security.”
New questions
Central to the platform’s enhancement is the introduction of new questions designed to help institutions assess their preparedness for the forthcoming Protect Duty, commonly known as Martyn’s Law. Figen Murray, the campaigner behind Martyn’s Law, passed in April 2025 as the Terrorism (Protection of Premises Act) and due to come into force any time after spring 2027, is a patron of Aucso. She said: “Understanding preparedness is the first step towards improving it. By embedding Martyn’s Law readiness into its benchmarking, Aucso is providing universities with a clear and practical way to assess where they stand and what more needs to be done. This kind of sector-wide visibility is essential as we move towards implementation.”
Rather than focusing prematurely on compliance, says Aucso, the platform will initially capture a picture of where institutions are in their journey, whether preparing, monitoring developments, or yet to begin. This approach reflects the evolving nature of the legislation, with further, more detailed measures to be introduced once statutory guidance is published.
New data areas
The next phase of the benchmarking will introduce new questions in areas identified as priorities by members, including:
- Shift structures and demand management, providing insight into how institutions resource 24/7 operations and respond to peak pressures
- Emergency preparedness, including whether institutions have documented and tested procedures for evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and mass communication
- Martyn’s Law readiness, introducing a baseline measure to understand whether institutions are actively progressing, monitoring developments, or yet to begin, helping identify where further support or guidance may be needed.
- Future modules covering CCTV platforms, communications protocols, and partnership working
Aucso adds that these additions will allow institutions not only to benchmark current practice, but to identify more sustainable and effective operating models across the sector.
‘Actionable insight’
Nick Beale, CEO at the software platform ISARR, added:”This is where benchmarking becomes truly powerful – when it moves beyond static comparison to dynamic, actionable insight. Working alongside Aucso, we’ve built a platform that doesn’t just collect data but turns it into a decision-support tool for security leaders. As the dataset deepens and incorporates new areas such as Martyn’s Law readiness, institutions will be better equipped to quantify demand, evidence their resource needs, and make more informed decisions about risk and resilience – supported by a community of peers facing the same challenges and committed to raising standards together.”
Decision-making
Aucso emphasises that the benchmarking requires participation and collaboration. It points to growing evidence that members are already using the platform to inform decision-making and respond to operational challenges, and is encouraging wider engagement to further strengthen the dataset and its value. The association believes the platform will play a central role in supporting institutions to respond with confidence.
As featured in the May edition of Professional Security Magazine, recently Aucso released a sector-led framework, ‘The To Protect Model: A Practical Approach for Implementing Protect Duty (Martyn’s Law) Responsibilities’, to support Higher Education institutions in preparing for Martyn’s Law, which requires roughly 180,000 UK premises and events to take steps to counter the threat of terrorism.
Photo by Mark Rowe: University of Exeter, host of the Aucso 2026 conference at Easter.
