Martyn’s Law — the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 — is not a rumour. The SIA will regulate it. Home Office and SIA guidance in 2026 says the duties are expected to come into force in spring 2027. If you run a venue, stadium, arena, large restaurant, conference centre or qualifying event, start the paperwork now.

Standard tier vs enhanced tier

If it is reasonable to expect 200–799 people at the same time, you are usually in the standard tier: notify the SIA who is responsible, and put in place reasonably practicable procedures for evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication.

At 800 or more people — and for qualifying public events with entry checks — you enter the enhanced tier. You still need those four procedures, plus monitoring, access and movement control, physical security and information security. You must document the measures and, where the responsible person is a company, name a senior individual.

What to do in Manchester, London, Birmingham and beyond

Arena shows in Manchester, West End theatres, NEC Birmingham halls, Glasgow Hydro calendars, Cardiff stadiums and Edinburgh festival venues should already be mapping peak occupancy. Places of worship, schools and childcare stay in standard tier even above 800. Check Schedule 1 and 2 of the Act and ProtectUK flowcharts before you guess.

SIA-licensed door supervisors and stewards are not the whole duty, but they are how you actually run searches, queues, lockdown and communications on the night. QR patrols and radio logs give you an audit trail after an inspection.

A 90-day prep list

Name the responsible person. Count peak occupancy including staff. Draft the four procedures in plain English. Walk the building in London, Leeds or Liverpool with a security contractor. Decide where monitoring (patrols, CCTV, searches) is reasonably practicable. Book SIA-licensed cover for events over your threshold.

Frequently asked questions

Is Martyn’s Law in force today?

The Act is passed. Duties are expected from spring 2027. Do not wait until the commencement date to write procedures.

Does a 150-capacity bar need this?

Usually no, unless occupancy including staff reasonably reaches 200. Always check the official flowcharts.

Can Reliance notify the SIA for us?

You remain the responsible person. We supply licensed officers, procedures support and patrol evidence.

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