Martyn's Law, one year on: a compliance reality check

A year on from Royal Assent, the picture across the qualifying-premises population is uneven. A meaningful minority of operators — venues, education estates, places of worship, large retail — moved early, built genuine capability, and now have documented procedures, trained staff and an evidenced security plan. Most are some distance behind that.

The pattern in the laggards is recognisable. Tier assessments were done quickly and conservatively, often understating attendance. Procedures were lifted from generic templates and never tested. Staff training was box-ticked through an e-learning module that no duty manager could repeat under pressure. The result is a compliance posture that will not survive a regulator visit, let alone a real event.

Our advice to those still catching up is unglamorous. Re-do the tier assessment honestly. Write the four procedures — evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication — in language a sixteen-year-old usher could execute. Run a tabletop. Document everything. The SIA will arrive eventually. The objective is to have answered every question they're going to ask before they arrive.