A new bill being put before UK parliament is aiming to better prepare venues to protect against acts of terrorism.
If passed, the law would require nightclubs, pubs and other spaces with a capacity of 200 or more people to take steps to ensure they have an adequate plan in place in case of a terror attack on their premises. Such measures could include clearly identifying safe routes for event attendees and locking certain doors in order to stop people from improperly gaining access to a venue.
Venues which are found to have failed to comply with the new law could be fined £10,000, though it’s expected that warnings would initially be handed out. Standard tier venues – those that can hold between 200 and 799 people – would be expected to notify a regulator and demonstrate public protection procedures that have been put in place in order to reduce the risk of physical harm in the event of an attack.
The enhanced venue tier, which is for spaces that have a capacity of 800 or more people, will be expected to put in place additional measures, including installing adequate CCTV and hiring specially trained security staff. If those venues don’t comply with the expectations, they could face a fine of up to £18 million, though warnings in the form of compliance notices would again be expected to be the first course of action.
The Home Office estimates that the new law will apply to 155,000 businesses with a venue capacity of between 200 and 799 people, and will cost those venues an average of £330 a year to implement. It’s believed 24,000 larger venues, with a capacity of 800 and above, could be subject to the law if passed, and those spaces will supposedly face average costs of about £5,000 a year in order to comply with it.
Martyn’s Law, otherwise known as the terrorism (protection of premises) bill, has been put before parliament in the name of Martyn Hett, who was one of 22 people murdered in May 2017’s Manchester Arena suicide bombing. Hett’s mother, Figen Murray, has campaigned for implementation of the law for a number of years, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer committed to putting it in place as a priority following his election win earlier this year.
Commenting on the implementation of the law, Murray said: “I want to thank everyone who has played a part in getting the bill to this stage, and especially the Prime Minister, who gave me his word that he would act quickly to introduce Martyn’s law. He said he would act quickly and he has.
“Today means we are one step closer to making public spaces safer for everyone. It is also hugely important for my family that Martyn’s law will be on the statute book ahead of the next anniversary of Martyn’s death.”
