It’s been two years since the shocking and tragic terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena saw 22 innocent people sadly lose their lives and countless others be injured as a result. Martyn’s Law is proposed legislation passionately fought for by Figen Murray the mother of Martyn Hett one of the victims which pushes for tougher security measures at venues to prevent further attacks from happening again.
An independent public inquiry into the Manchester Arena Bombing was launched by the Home Secretary on 22 October 2019. The inquiry into the attack found that a ‘fatal cocktail’ of security failures contributed to Manchester Arena being unsafe on the night of the incident.
Martyn’s Law would mean all public venues that the public have access to have to put greater emphasis on a coherent and proportionate approach to protective security.
Martyn’s Law proposes five key requirements for any publicly accessible location:
- A requirement that spaces and places to which the public have access engage with freely available counterterrorism advice and training
- A requirement for those places to conduct vulnerability assessments of their operating places and spaces
- A requirement for those places to have a mitigation plan for the risks created by the vulnerabilities
- A requirement for those places to have a counter-terrorism plan
- A requirement for local authorities to plan for the threat of terrorism
We’ve followed the development of Martyn’s Law with interest. Should it come into law it’s reach would be far reaching for businesses who’s customer base is the general public i.e. cafés, museums and large arenas. Obviously, there is a massive difference between a café and a stadium or arena. For small venues, the proposed legislation may simply require updating fire plans or taking additional measures like installing security or bomb proof window film.
Even if Martyn’s Law doesn’t come into effect the questions it has raised about venue security and the important role businesses can play in helping to keep their staff, customers and general public safer is in our opinion a good thing. If you’d like to discuss how our Security and Bomb Blast Window Films could help your business please get in touch on
03300 881 051 and we’ll be happy to discuss the best option for you.
