Martyn's Law Update: Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill moves through Parliament

A landmark debate in September at the House of Commons is set to change the face of venue safety laws in the UK.

The Terrorism Protection of Premises Bill or ‘Martyn’s Law’ was discussed by MPs in September; an anti-terrorism bill in memory of 29-year-old Martyn Hett, who was killed alongside 21 others in the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing. The law is currently under review by the Public Bill Committee and is set to come into action over the coming weeks.

The main aim of the Bill is to protect the public from the impact of terrorist attacks and to prevent physical harm. It comes after the terror threat for venues in the UK has been described as ‘substantial’ by officials, who have revealed that 43 terrorist plots have been foiled since 2017.

Mainly aimed at concert halls, stadiums and other crowded venues, Martyn’s Law outlines new specific safety measures for most public venues based on different capacities, meaning hotels and other hospitality venues will be affected when the law becomes official.

The Law calls for mandatory safety training and ‘practicable public protection procedures’ in venues with a capacity of 200 – 799 (known as standard tier and raised from 100 in September to create a more appropriate scope of duty).

Whereas in larger venues with a capacity of over 800 (enhanced tier), more rigorous measures are required such as additional security staff and minimum CCTV requirements.

Martyn’s Law will have large implications on the hospitality industry, however, many hospitality providers are clearly seeing the benefit to public safety, with 100 venues publicly backing the bill, including McDonalds.

Since we last talked about Martyn’s Law in February of this year, there have been some adjustments to the proposed requirements. Here we discuss the biggest changes for hotels and other hospitality providers to help you prepare for the new legislation.

Standard Tier Requirements

There is a focus on practical and effective safety training to prepare for a terrorist event, including practice runs by team members.

Since the bill was first proposed, the requirements for training have become more prescriptive and involve safety procedures for the following:

• Evacuation
• Invacuation
• Lockdown
• Communication with staff and customers.

This more active approach aims to raise and maintain awareness of anti-terror measures amongst hotel staff so they can be implemented effectively in the event of a terror attack.

A ‘responsible person’ will implement these measures and ensure adequate training takes place and all safety measures should be clearly communicated with the regulator.

In summary, since the Government consultation on Martyn’s Law, there is now less emphasis on paperwork and a greater focus on ensuring that all your employees fully understand how to deliver the anti-terrorism measures to reduce physical harm.

The government hopes that these requirements will enable venues to tailor their measures to suit their operational needs.

Enhanced Tier Requirements

If your hotel or venue falls into the Enhanced Tier category, regulators will need to be informed of any events where 800 or more individuals are attending your event.

The same safety training and actionable public safety procedures apply here as for Standard Tier venues; however, paperwork requirements are more rigorous and all safety measures in place must be adequately documented as proof of compliance. This will also include safety assessments of the efficiency of your hotel’s safety measures.

As with standard tier requirements, there must be a ‘responsible person’ in charge of implementing these measures. However, if your hotel or venue falls under the 800 capacity tier, a ‘senior’ responsible person must be nominated for each event where there are 800 or more individuals attending.

As well as the hotel itself, the surrounding area must be monitored for suspicious activity by using additional staff and/or extra CCTV.

There will be an expected grace period of around 24 months to enable venues to put these plans into place before the Security Industry Authority (SIA) begins regulatory action to enforce the law.

The SIA will have the power to issue compliance notices, limit operations and give out hefty fines to venues of up to 5% of worldwide revenue (AEO) for those who don’t comply. This figure could be in the millions for multi-site hotel chains or venues.

With this in mind, and the bill currently making its way through Parliament, now is the time to get your anti-terrorism measures in place to ensure the safety of your customers and guarantee your venue is compliant.

Resources

• Association of Event Organisers
• Government guidance
• Government Consultation