Implementing the new Protect Duty UK legislation enacted April 2025 – The Guildhall Trust shares its perspectives
New UK legislation came into effect in April 2025 requiring specific types of public venues to improve their protective security and prepare against terrorist attacks. The law, the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, commonly called Martyn’s Law or the Protect Duty, provides for an implementation period of up to 24 months. As organisations step up their preparations, Multitone spoke to The Guildhall Trust’s Chief Operating Officer Rachel Maryan and here Rachel shares her thoughts on the implementation of the new legislation, including the Trust’s preparedness plan, tackling potential challenges, managing internal and external communications together with other insights.
What is Martyn’s Law – a recap
The horrific terrorist bombing at the Manchester Arena in May 2017 took 22 lives and left a further 1,017 people injured. This devastating event exposed critical gaps in how public venues prepare for and respond to security threats, resulting in the demand for the new law.
Martyn’s Law introduces a tiered system with venues classified and assigned specific obligations based on their size and type of activity. The objective is to ensure that every relevant public space adheres to new, rigorous preparedness standards.
The Guildhall Trust and its venues
The Guildhall Trust is a cultural management charity that specialises in venue management, cultural consultancy, creative learning and event management services. Based in the centre of Portsmouth, the Trust manages two venues: the historic Portsmouth Guildhall and the White Rock Theatre in Hastings.
Implementing Martyn’s Law
Since an initial interview in 2024, when Multitone spoke with the Trust’s CEO Andy Grays about the preparatory work to introduce the Protect Duty, work has gathered pace on the implementation of the legislative requirements, as Rachel explains below:
Multitone: The new law has different tiers to determine how venues should implement the Protect Duty. Which tier does the Guildhall sit under?
Rachel: Yes, just to explain, the Protect Duty aims to improve public safety by requiring public and private venues to take steps by way of risk assessment and mitigations to protect the public from terrorist attacks. The law will follow a tiered model which will be decided by the activity that takes place at the venue and the venue capacity:
- Tier 1 – Standard Tier: locations with a capacity of 100 – 700 (currently, but this could change in the consultation)
- Tier 2 – Enhanced Tier: locations with a capacity of over 800.
Therefore, with the Guildhall maximum capacity of 2500 for standing events, and The White Rock Theatre seating 1050, we will fall under the Enhanced Tier (Tier 2). Both tiers will have to fulfil measures such as staff training, public awareness campaigns, and most importantly the development of the Martyn’s Law preparedness plan. The Enhanced Tier will have to follow further guidance and put extra measures in place in line with the capacity and individual venue challenges.
How does Martyn’s Law affect the Guildhall Trust as a whole?
Rachel: The Guildhall Trust needs to create our preparedness plan so official bodies can inspect it at any time. The precise detail of that preparedness plan is yet to be confirmed.
By doing this and following the guidance, it will mean that in both venues that the Guildhall Trust manages, we will be better prepared and ready to respond in the event of a terrorist attack. There will be budgetary considerations for enhanced daytime security, staff training and the implementation of some physical barriers in areas.
At both The Portsmouth Guildhall and The White Rock Theatre we have open foyers whereby the public can enter the venue, whilst in the evening we already adopt an approach with security on access points. During the day we currently offer an open policy; this will need further consideration when we organise the preparedness plan.
The Portsmouth Guildhall is a large and complex venue, able to accommodate thousands of people at a time. What challenges does Martyn’s Law present at the venue?
Rachel: Following the horrific Manchester Arena attack which sadly identified systemic shortcomings, Portsmouth Guildhall implemented specific security measures. These now form part of our preparedness plan and Martyn’s Law compliance, exemplified by developing a containment plan to complement our evacuation procedure, which includes stationing security personnel outside doors to prevent entry during event egress.
For example, developing a containment plan to work alongside our evacuation plan, ensuring that while egress of events is taking place, we have security on the outside of doors ensuring no one is entering the building.
Portsmouth Guildhall is a large building and had many blind spots on our previous CCTV system, so we have now invested in a brand-new CCTV covering all areas and floors in the venue. The new system also uses facial recognition software.
What training or other implementation measures have you put in place to meet the new requirements?
Rachel: As well as the CCTV and facial recognition software, we have put in place further training for staff.
As part of our induction for new staff members and as an annual review for existing team members, all must complete the ACT awareness (Action Counters Terrorism) e-learning course. Security team members & duty managers in addition complete the ACT Security e-learning course which gives further updates on counter terrorism knowledge that will help them prepare and respond to an occurrence. We take these courses through the Protect UK website and keep everyone’s certificate on file.
We already had a complete security plan and CT risk assessment in place; we have enhanced it and will review it again when the full law is published.
Once this is in place, we will train team members based on the preparedness plan.
How will Martyn’s Law serve to increase the protection of the public and employees?
Rachel: By all venues having to take a good, hard look into their policies and procedures. Venues can then review and action new mitigations for risk.
Some venues of an 800-capacity size will not have the security measures in place that the Guildhall already offers to our customers and staff members. They will have little to no measures in place for searching members of the public entering the venue or protecting foyers where people can just enter and walk around the venue.
The Security Industry Authority (SIA) has changed its training modules; the course to obtain your licence for security is now six days rather than the previous three days. This means security colleagues are becoming more aware of what to look for with hostile reconnaissance and other preventative measures. All our security colleagues are SIA door supervisor trained.
Holding all venues and security to a standard will ultimately better protect the public and employees because they will need to implement preventative measures against a terrorist attack happening in their venue.
How can members of the public help venues to reduce the risk of terrorism, in a safe way?
Rachel: We will be undertaking a public awareness campaign once the legislation comes into effect. There are three things that are particularly important:
- Everyone can help by being vigilant. If something doesn’t feel right, then tell someone. We will encourage customers to do this and train the team to respond appropriately.
- Where possible, bring only small bags into the venue that you can keep on your person; this ensures you do not leave large bags lying around the venue.
- Make sure that you know where your nearest exit is in the event of an emergency.
Multitone provides a range of secure communications technologies for use in emergency situations, such as Multitone Nucleus, Multitone Evolve and EkoTek. How do you think these types of products could be useful?
Rachel: The team could use these to summon help if someone feels unsafe or has found something unsafe in the venue, and they would be a way to send messaging out to the team without having to alert the public immediately.
The security team could use this to message each other securely about things they should not post on WhatsApp groups – and so on.
Thank you, Rachel, for your time and detailed explanation on the Trust’s implementation plans.
Photo credit: Portsmouth Guildhall
