Protect Duty
Written by:
Ted Whyte
Published Date:
15 February 2025
Protect Duty: What Public Venues and Events Need to Know
Understanding the Protect Duty (Martyn's Law)
Public safety is a top priority for UK venues and event organisers, and with the introduction of the Protect Duty (also known as Martyn’s Law), there is a stronger emphasis on preparedness, security, and risk mitigation. Named after Martyn Hett, one of the victims of the 2017 Manchester Arena attack, this proposed legislation aims to enhance security measures at public venues to better protect people from terrorist threats.
What is it?
The Protect Duty is a government initiative that places a legal obligation on public venues, event organisers, and businesses to implement proportionate security measures to reduce the risk of terrorist attacks and respond effectively should they occur. It applies to venues, events, and organisations over a certain size and that are accessible to the public.
Standard vs Enhanced Tiers
The Protect Duty recognises that venues and events of differing sizes will need to have different measures and procedures in place that are proportionate to them. That’s why the requirements are split into two tiers; Standard Tier and Enhanced Tier
Standard Tier
For venues who can reasonably expect to have 200 or more people on-site at the same time ‘from time-to-time’ – i.e. if you expect that your venue will on occasion throughout the year have 200 or more people in attendance at the same time, you are likely to fall into the Standard Tier.
The measures for the Standard Tier venues focus more on ensuring that the venue is prepared to respond in the event of an attack taking place.
Enhanced Tier
For venues or events which expect to have at least 800 or more people in attendance at any one-time – again, similarly to the Standard Tier – this is based on what is reasonably expected.
The measures and procedures for Enhanced Tier venues and events focus on both the response, but also how to prevent an attack taking place (i.e. reduce the likelihood of being targeted).
Security culture and awareness amongst staff
One of the most important aspects of the Protect Duty is ensuring staff are not only aware of the threat of terrorism, but they understand what processes and procedures are in place at the venue or event they are working so that they know how to respond.
Even if a venue or event does not fall under the scope of the Protect Duty, it is still recommended that all staff receiving basic training outlining the risk of terrorism, how to look out for signs of an imminent attack or attack planning and how to respond in the event that one takes place in or in the vicinity of , the venue or event.
Staff can play a huge roll in reducing the likelihood of an attack and it’s impact. It’s also far cheaper to upskill staff with the knowledge they need than it is implementing large technical or physical safety measures. A strong and aware workforce can help customer confidence and boost reputation, whilst at the same time reducing the risk of business operation disruption.
How can you prepare for the Protect Duty implementation?
Understand the risk
The first element of preparing is to understand your venue or events risks. What attack types could take place and what vulnerabilities are there in your venue or event that could be exploited by people with hostile intentions.
Mitigate
Once you understand the unique risks that your venue or event faces, then you can put in measures to reduce them. They can often be simple, easy-to-implement measures such as staff upskilling, increased signage or changes to processes. Sometimes, they may require more in-depth changes – such as physical or technical measures (e.g. hostile vehicle mitigation barriers etc).
Train
Once you have identified the most appropriate mitigations to put in place, you need to ensure everyone is familiar with them. That includes staff, contracts and anyone else who visits the venue or public as part of their role. It’s no good to have measures in place if people who have a role in them are not familiar with them. Public venues and events face unique challenges when trying to provide training to their staff – that’s why it’s important to utilise techniques to help ensure that they can get the knowledge they require and retain it (e.g. micro-learning).
Review and Update
When all measures have been implemented and staff have been trained, it’s important to keep reviewing them and updating them where necessary so that they remain appropriate for the venue or event. That could involve annual reviews or it could be regular testing and exercises – an opportunity to put the measures in place in a controlled scenario.
Conclusion
When Protect Duty comes into place, certain venues and events will be required to implement measures to reduce the likelihood of an attack targeting their premises or measures that help ensure that the response is effective. There is no reason why that preparation shouldn’t start now.
Protected Spaces offers tailored and personalised services to those venues and events that are seeking to comply. Our focus is on staff development and wherever possible we try to reduce the burden by providing training and processes specifically designed for public facing venues and events. Even if you are not in the scope of the Protect Duty – it is still highly recommended that you put in place measures that can help reduce the disruption and help keep your staff and customers safe.
Find out what we can do for your venue or event by clicking the button below.
About the Author
Ted Whyte has over 10 years of experience working with a variety of public venues and events across the UK and internationally. Specialising in protective security and incident response, Ted has helped organizations develop effective training programs that enhance staff preparedness and ensure smooth operations in high-pressure environments. His expertise lies in tailoring security training strategies to the unique challenges of each venue or event, ensuring both safety and exceptional guest experiences.
