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What Does the UK Terrorism Bill Mean for You?
Published:
November 2024
Here is what's known so far about the UK Terrorism Bill and the surveillance tools that can help.
In September 2024, the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill entered parliament. Also known as ‘The Protect Duty’ or ‘Martyn’s Law’, the legislation aims to make the public safer by ensuring those responsible for specific premises and events have considered the risk of terrorist attack and have implemented safety and security measures proportionate to their operations.
The Bill is far from finalised, but with widespread political and public support, it is highly likely to become law. With this in mind, here’s what we know so far so you can start to make organisational preparations.
1. Who does the legislation apply to?
It will apply to organisations operating premises or events where members of the public are expected to gather in large numbers (over 200) at once.
Smaller operations (200-799 people) will be subject to a ‘Standard Tier’ of requirements, and larger operations (over 800 people) will need to meet an ‘Advanced Tier’ of more stringent measures.
The qualifying criteria for size are based on a ‘reasonable expectation’ of attendance. This could be assessed by looking at fixed capacity, historical data (e.g., previous event attendance), or existing ‘safe occupancy figures’ used for Health and safety measures.
2. What must I do if I’m in the ‘Standard Tier’?
The main requirement in this tier is to ensure appropriate public protection measures are in place. Measures like these:
Measure |
Tools That Can Help |
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Safely evacuate or invacuate people. |
Evacuation and invacuation workflows can automate emergency guidance lighting, exit and entrance control, door opening/closing, and on-screen guidance for your team. |
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Lockdown premises to limit the movement of would-be attackers. |
By integrating mapping and access control with your surveillance solution, you can pinpoint the location of any threat and lock down individual doors and zones in response. |
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Communicate with staff and the public about any danger present, what to do and where to go. |
Visual and audio alarms, digital signage, and public address systems can all be integrated into your surveillance solution for rapid public-facing communication. Integrating staff radios or using remote and mobile applications will help you keep your staff informed and on task. |
3. What must I do if I’m in the ‘Enhanced Tier’?
Premises/events in this tier must also demonstrate that more robust public protection measures are in place to mitigate the risk of attack and its potential impact. Measures like these:
Measure |
Tools That Can Help |
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Monitor for suspicious activity (on-site and in the immediate vicinity). |
Consider using AI to proactively (and automatically) search for things like loitering, tailgating, suspicious bags, etc. |
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Control the movement of people. |
In addition to integrating access control, newer solutions like entrance scanners (increasingly used for event control) can also be integrated into your surveillance system. AI can also be used to monitor unusual crowd behaviour and movement. |
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Physically protect premises e.g. by implementing clear zones or vehicle access prevention areas. |
Physical signage and bollards can be used to create clear zones. You can also replicate these virtually so your surveillance solution triggers an alert if a person or vehicle is too close or crosses a threshold. |
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Ensure security data (e.g. plans, rotas and SOPs) doesn’t get into the wrong hands. |
Use permission-based surveillance and security solutions with full audit trail capabilities to control and monitor who does what. Technologies used should meet the latest cyber security and encryption standards. |
4. Who will this involve at my organisation?
While specific individuals will have reporting responsibilities, the answer to this is really – everyone.
The Bill strongly emphasises the need for communication and coordination.
For example, guidance already issued conveys that, for both tiers, “procedures will need to be effectively communicated to all those needed to deliver an effective response to a suspected incident. This may include employees, volunteers and contractors as well as those hiring premises.”
Mobile devices and remote solutions that allow security and safety tasks to be assigned to staff (including temporarily, e.g., for event volunteers) and for two-way communication on incident status can also be helpful here.
The Bill is still to be finalised, and much could change. For now, the key is to be aware of potential requirements and the possible tools available to help.
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