Martyn’s Law: Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act, known also as Martyn’s Law, became law in 2025, but the Secretary of State has not announced when its provisions for places of worship will come into force. This will not be until the Security Industry Authority has completed publication of relevant guidance for places of worship and allowed time to read the guidance and put it into effect. The intention of the Act is to keep the public safe, and, from this perspective, it provides a framework to help you achieve this in response to a changing security situation.
The government uses the website ProtectUK to publish advice for protective security, including Martyn’s Law. The Act applies when there are more than 200 people present at your church. If your church and events at your church do not normally have 200 people present, you are outside the scope of the Act. Although its principles remain good practice, the law does not apply to you.
If you regularly have more than 200 people present at your church, you are in the standard tier of the Act, and treated as standard tier, regardless of the number of people present. The provisions for the enhanced tier (more than 800 present) do not apply to churches. Even if you hold events that have over 800 people that are not acts of worship, you will be treated as a church for the purposes of the Act, provided you are primarily a place of worship.
The requirements for standard-duty premises are centred on simple, low-cost activities, with costs primarily related to time spent. There is no requirement to implement physical measures. The government does not intend for churches to spend money to implement the Act.
When the law comes into effect, four types of procedures must be put in place, as appropriate and so far as is reasonably practicable. They are:
- evacuation: the process of getting people safely out of the premises
- invacuation: The process of bringing people safely into, or to safer parts of, the premises
- lockdown: the process of securing the premises to prevent individuals from entering or leaving the premises
- communication: the process of alerting people on the premises to the danger
These procedures are all explained in a government factsheet. The government will publish guidance specific to faith buildings, including churches. This page will be updated when that guidance is published.
The Historic Religious Buildings Alliance has provided a detailed Martyn’s Law briefing note.
Information for the general public
Run, Hide, Tell
This simple advice has been widely publicised in the media. More information about what you should do in the event of an incident can be found on the Government website. Resources include a leaflet and an information film.
CitizenAID - the first five minutes count
The brain child of Sir Keith Porter, Professor of Clinical Traumatology at the University of Birmingham and other professionals working in emergency medicine, the charity citizenAID offers resources for the general public to be prepared in the event of an attack. It is particularly focused on how to react following an incident in order to not just protect yourself but to help save lives of others affected. citizenAID is available online, in an app or on paper.
Speaking at the launch of Citizen Aid, Professor Porter, said, "Whilst formal training in first aid is desirable, citizenAID provides those skills to the frequently untrained and can expand the skill base of the trained first aider, embracing the different priorities and using techniques not usually part of routine first aid. I hope a critical mass of the general public will become trained in the CitizenAID concept so that in the unlikely event that they are involved in an incident, they are able to deliver life-saving skills when safe to do so."
Read more on their website.
Information for Church officers and leaders
National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO)
Understanding the threat and updates from government on how the threat level changes can be found on this portal as well as the Government’s guidance on Crowded Places. The guidance includes a section (page 19) on places of worship. The introduction says: 'This guide is intended to give protective security advice to those who are responsible for security in places of worship. It is aimed at those places where there may be a risk of a terrorist attack either because of the nature of the place of worship or the number of people who congregate in it. The guide seeks to reduce the risk of a terrorist attack and limit the impact an attack might cause.
Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure
The Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) are leaders in security, providing resources, guidance and expert advice to help protect and keep businesses secure from external threats. They provide guidance notes on protecting sites as well as well as understanding the threats. Their latest guidance note was published following the London Bridge and Borough Market attack.
Read more on their website.
Police and Regional Counter Terrorism Units
In addition to the public campaigns, church officers may wish to reach out to their local Police and regional counter terrorism units. Since the 7/7 attacks the UK has put in place a national counter terrorism network with 10 regional units that have dedicated resources. NaCTSO are keen for places of worship to engage with the dedicated Counter Terrorism Security Advisor (CTSA) in their police force area who can provide tailored guidance and advice, for instance when large events are planned. This is likely to be most relevant to sizeable churches and cathedrals. Contact details for CTSAs can be found on the Government website.