A video is urging universities and higher education institutions to get ready for Martyn’s Law, due to come into force in 2027. The film by the Association of University Chief Security Officers (AUCSO) brings together university and security heads and frontline campus security people to explain what that law – formal title, the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 – means for higher education and what institutions should be doing now to protect students, staff and visitors.
It accompanies the association’s TO PROTECT Model: A Practical Approach for Implementing Protect Duty (Martyn’s Law) Responsibilities. That’s a sector-led framework developed by AUCSO members. Both set out: preparing for Martyn’s Law is about more than compliance. It is about an institution’s fundamental duty of care to its students, staff, visitors and wider community.
The film features Professor Shearer West CBE, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Leeds; Dilip Amin, Executive Chair of AUCSO’s CONTEST Special Interest Group and Security Services Manager at the University of Reading; Geoff Brown, Chair of AUCSO and also at Leeds; and a campus security officer. Geoff Brown said: “Martyn’s Law represents an important moment for our sector. Universities now have an opportunity to review, test and strengthen their arrangements before the legislation comes into force. Our message is simple: use this implementation period well. Good preparedness is not only about meeting the requirements of the Act; it is about ensuring our university communities are as safe, resilient and well prepared as they can be.”
About 170,000 or 180,000 premises will fall within the scope of Martyn’s Law; such as pubs, hospitals and concert halls – which all may be on or beside uni campuses. Large lecture theatres, graduation venues, accommodation complexes, sports facilities and other university spaces may fall within the ‘enhanced’ tier, of places with a capacity of 800 or more. Importantly, the legislation allows a “premises” to comprise a building, part of a building or a group of buildings and associated land, meaning many university campuses are likely to meet the enhanced-tier threshold when considered as a whole. Martyn’s Law requires premises with a capacity of 200 or more, in the ‘standard’ tier, to take more simpler steps to meet the Protect Duty, to counter the threat of terrorism.
The video covers four areas of preparedness:
- Communication – warning staff, students and members of the public quickly, while providing the police and emergency services with vital information.
- Evacuation – moving people safely away from danger.
- Invacuation – directing people into secure internal locations.
- Lockdown – securing premises to prevent entry or exit where necessary.
It also considers physical protection measures including hostile vehicle mitigation, CCTV, surveillance and access control, alongside the importance of governance, risk assessment, training and clearly defined accountability.
Julie Barker, Chief Operating Officer of AUCSO, said: “Universities are among the most open, diverse and complex environments in the country. That openness is fundamental to university life, but it also means that institutions must think carefully about how they prepare for and respond to serious incidents. Martyn’s Law should not be viewed simply as a compliance exercise. Protecting students, staff and visitors is a shared institutional responsibility and an essential part of the pastoral commitment universities make to their communities.
“The TO PROTECT Model and the new video, called Martyn’s Law TO PROTECT, bring perspectives together from university leadership, strategic security management and frontline campus security. They have been developed by people who understand both the institutional responsibilities created by Martyn’s Law and the practical realities of protecting complex university environments.”
Responsibility
Under Martyn’s Law, the responsible person and, where applicable, the senior designated individual will have important duties in relation to ensuring that an institution meets the requirements of the legislation. The video also encourages universities to examine how their emergency plans align with the Act and to ensure that procedures are understood, coordinated and regularly tested.
Info shared
AUCSO reports that it’s already actively engaged with the Security Industry Authority (SIA), which will regulate Martyn’s Law, including involvement in the testing of systems and the development of regulatory guidance. It is also working with counter-terror police, and the Department for Education to help ensure that the particular characteristics and requirements of higher education are properly understood. AUCSO set up a Higher Education Associations Group, which shares information and emerging guidance and supports a coordinated approach to Martyn’s Law across higher education.
Julie added: “Universities are not starting from scratch. The sector already has considerable expertise in protective security, emergency management, business continuity and major event planning. The priority now is to review those arrangements through the lens of Martyn’s Law. Institutions need to ask whether responsibilities are clear, whether plans connect effectively across different departments and premises, and whether those plans would work in practice during a fast-moving incident.
“No single university or security team should have to approach this work in isolation. By working together, sharing expertise and engaging constructively with the SIA and the Department for Education, we can help create safer and more resilient university communities.”
Where to look
The TO PROTECT video can be viewed at https://youtu.be/OVaIHJbLHdM
The TO PROTECT Model: A Practical Approach for Implementing Protect Duty (Martyn’s Law) Responsibilities is available at AUCSO-TO-PROTECT-Model-2026.pdf.
Photo by Mark Rowe: security patrol cars parked at the University of Exeter, venue for the AUCSO 2026 Easter conference.
