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Laura Gibb, Executive Director at the Security Industry Authority (SIA), is pictured speaking on July 2 at the Blue Light Show to a large and interested emergency services audience at London Olympia. Here she writes about the role for the security sector in building a culture of protective security ahead of Martyn’s Law.
In recent years we have seen an ever-increasing spotlight on protective security and this will only intensify. While security companies and individual security officers are not in scope of the responsibilities brought in under Martyn’s Law, there is no question that the private security industry will have a role to play in this. With time marching on until Martyn’s Law comes into force in spring 2027, we know it will be coming into sharper relief for many.
Martyn’s Law aims to reduce the risk of harm at public premises and events in the event of a terrorist attack. Named after Martyn Hett, one of the twenty-two people killed in the Manchester Arena attack, Martyn’s Law aims to make people safer by ensuring qualifying premises and events have appropriate plans in place to respond to acts of terrorism.
Campaigned for tirelessly by Martyn’s mother, Figen Murray OBE, Martyn’s Law promises to ensure that premises and events are prepared in the event of a terrorist incident and will significantly impact everyone who runs, operates, works in or has responsibility for security.
As we build the picture of our new regulated community, what strikes me most about those premises and events in scope is just how broad a spectrum they are drawn from – from major venues like the O2 and Wembley to pubs, theatres, schools and universities and hospitals. Many of these organisations will already have security measures in place and be working with private security to manage this. Others will be thinking about the steps that Martyn’s Law will require them to take for the first time.
What’s coming
As we will no doubt need to reiterate in the coming months, the focus for those in scope is on what is ‘appropriate’ and ‘reasonably practicable’ for each individual premises or event. The measures adopted will vary depending on the size and set up of the premises or event.
The responsible person cannot delegate responsibility for complying with Martyn’s Law but those responsible for large or complex premises and events may well use private security expertise to help them consider what is appropriate and to ensure measures and procedures are effective.
In working out what’s needed for your premises or event, you will need to assess whether you need to tap into appropriate expert resource from the private security sector. Where good protective security measures and preparedness procedures already exist, they will provide solid foundations.
Where the private security industry can really flex its expertise is in helping organisations create a broader positive culture of protective security. This will make a difference in public spaces for the people who use them. Part of this is about education, helping everyone in an organisation understand the critical role they play in keeping customers and visitors safe. There are likely to be some useful parallels between counter terrorism, which feels a very ‘new’ consideration to some of the premises we’ve talked to, and other areas of protective security, such as measures to reduce violence against women and girls which many have embedded.
Martyn’s Law will have consequences for public and venue expectations of private security. There will be a spotlight on standards of professional security in prevention and response. As the UK security regulator, we want to focus on improving standards in protective security while increasing public trust and confidence in security personnel and protective security at venues as well as the regulator and regulatory regime.
Going forward safety and security will no longer just be the role of law enforcement agencies and government – it’s a combined collaboration with everyone stepping forward to play theirpart – working together to ensure maximum impact. The Act requires those responsible for premises and events to step forward and put in place protective security to reduce the risk of harm to the public in the event of an attack.
Shaping our regulatory approach
We were pleased with the level of engagement in our recent consultation on our draft ‘Section 12’ guidance on how we will operate as the regulator, which saw 200 completed responses. We are working through the feedback and will finalise the guidance for approval by ministers and publication in the autumn. We want to ensure the guidance is as clear as possible and helps those in the sectors with obligations under Martyn’s Law to understand our approach as a proportionate and supportive regulator, but also one that is robust, and prepared to use its enforcement powers robustly where it needs to.
When the new law goes live, compliance will be the legal expectation. As the regulator, our role is not only to support those responsible to comply, but to assess compliance and identify non-compliance. Our casework will be guided by a new regulatory risk framework, and we will work closely with other public bodies and regulators to build intelligence and assess risk to prioritise the use of our resources.
Anyone likely to be in scope should be thinking now about how to prepare. It’s important any support the private security industry provides is consistent with the official government guidance. The regulatory guidance outlining the steps necessary for premises and events to comply must be on everyone’s ‘to read’ list. Further useful materials can be found on Protect UK.
As premises and events across sectors get ready for Martyn’s Law, there’s much we can all do to prepare. In so doing, I’d urge everyone not to lose sight of the broader opportunities it presents for protective security and to make the public safer.
Anyone interested in following developments on Martyn’s Law should sign up to the SIA’s mailing list or find out more from the SIA website.
Photo by Mark Rowe.
