Understand what ‘Martyn’s Law’ means for event and hospitality businesses across Birmingham

For Birmingham’s concert arenas, theatres, pubs and entertainment spaces, the passage of ‘Martyn’s Law’ signifies a new chapter in the deployment of preparedness and active security across the city.

As a security business located in the heart of Birmingham, we are working to help businesses across the Second City ensure they’re interpreting the legislation correctly.

This short guide on Martyn’s Law provides a comprehensive overview of what the Law entails, and how it might apply to your business.

What is Martyn’s Law?

In short, the UK government has now passed the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025. More commonly known as ‘Martyn’s Law’, the legislation is named after Martyn Hett, a victim of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, whose mother campaigned extensively for more stringent security measures for public venues.

The act received royal assent in April 2025, and we are now in a 24-month implementation period, which gives duty holders time to prepare.

Martyn’s Law creates a tiered approach to public venues and events, which is based on the number of people reasonably expected to be present.

Why Martyn’s Law matters for Birmingham businesses

As a city with a rich tapestry of theatres, concert halls, arenas and large pubs, Martyn’s Law will impact how businesses across the city approach security.

The implications of the Law differ depending on the size of the venue. For example, venues where 200 or more people may be expected to gather would fall within the Standard Scope of the law, while venues with 800 or more people – or major ticketed events – are classed as Enhanced Tier, and face more stringent obligations.

For businesses across Birmingham’s vibrant entertainment eco-system, compliance with Martyn’s Law is not just a ‘nice to have’. Instead, compliance should be seen as very much the baseline of risk management.

What venues need to be doing now

• Understand whether you fall within the scope: It’s important to identify the maximum number of people expected on site at the same time – this will determine what ‘tier’ your business falls under.

• Check whether your business comes under ‘qualifying use’ definitions: Currently, that is a business operating within entertainment and leisure, hospitality or visitor attractions. Even if your business falls under the current threshold, the implementation period enables you to prepare now, rather than waiting until the last minute.

• Start building your procedural framework: For Standard Tier businesses, the focus is on procedural measures. That includes evacuation plans, lockdown or invacuation measures, providing adequate staff training and ensuring effective communication routes in the face of an emergency. For Enhanced Tier businesses, these same rules apply, but you should also consider more detailed measures such as physical mitigations, monitoring, movement-controls and more detailed documented planning.

• Engage with your security systems and technology as part of the solution: Whilst the legislation emphasises ‘appropriate and reasonably practicable steps’, having robust CCTV systems, access control, perimeter monitoring and incident response systems in place will help strengthen your position. In Birmingham, where venues may be multi-use, close to public transport and have high visitor turnover, integrating these security systems into your daily operational processes is key. At Watch Systems we offer bespoke installations, maintenance and 24-hour monitoring that can be tailored to help meet these emerging obligations.

• Don’t wait until the law hits: The implementation period exists to give businesses time to refine security systems, train staff and ensure the security technology they’ve invested in supports operational readiness. By using that time wisely now, businesses can avoid major headaches later down the line.

What next?

Ultimately, Martyn’s Law makes safety and security a visible part of your customer experience. Indeed, having visible assurance is an increasingly key consideration for visitors at Birmingham businesses. Being ahead of the game will differentiate you: venues that can demonstrate robust preparedness will have a competitive advantage, especially with promoters, insurers and corporate clients.

For Birmingham’s businesses, the time to act is now. By understanding your scope now, you will be better placed to adopt proportionate preparedness measures and ensure you are aligning your security technology and processes with a future where security resilience is a legislative fact of life. At Watch Systems, we stand ready to help you navigate the way forward with local expertise, clarity and delivery.