Since the tragic events of the Manchester bombing where sadly 22 persons were killed and as a result of the inquest and various campaigns, we now have a draft bill, the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill otherwise known as Martyn’s Law.
‘Martyn’s Law’ will place a requirement on those responsible for certain venues to consider the threat from terrorism and implement appropriate and proportionate mitigation measures. The legislation will ensure that people are prepared, ready to respond and know what to do in the event of an attack.
Who will be in scope?
Premises will fall within the scope of the duty where “qualifying activities” take place. This will include locations for purposes such as entertainment and leisure, retail, food and drink, museums and galleries, sports grounds, public areas of local and central government buildings (e.g. town halls), visitor attractions, temporary events, places of worship, health, and education.
It is proposed that the duty will apply to eligible premises which are either:
- a building (including collections of buildings used for the same purposes, e.g. a campus); or
- a location/event (including a temporary event) that has a defined boundary, allowing capacity to be known.
Eligible locations whose maximum occupancy meets the above specified thresholds will then be drawn into the relevant tier. Therefore, premises will be drawn into the scope of the duty if they meet the following three tests:
- That the premises is an eligible one – i.e., building or event with a defined boundary.
- That a qualifying activity takes place at the location; and
- That the maximum occupancy of the premises meets a specified threshold – either 100+ or 800+
This bill is not yet enacted, predictions are that it may be in the Autumn, so it may change and we will keep you updated with developments. More detail on the tiers and the requirements can be found below.