How to Prepare for Martyns Law This Winter Before It Takes Effect
The festive season is one of the best stress tests an event can get. Crowds arrive in the dark, weather changes plans, temporary layouts replace familiar streets, and people move between venues, markets, transport hubs and public spaces in ways that are hard to predict.
This winter is likely to be the last major festive period before the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, more commonly known as Martyn’s Law, becomes enforceable. Current guidance points to April 2027, with the Security Industry Authority expected to act as regulator.
That gives event organisers a useful window. Rather than waiting for enforcement and then trying to catch up, this season can be used to test plans, spot weak points and build habits that will still matter once the law is in force.
This post is intended as general guidance only and is not legal advice. Martyn's Law is expected to come into force in April 2027, and readers should refer to the latest official guidance from the Home Office and the SIA.
This article is for general information only. It does not set out the legal requirements of the Act. Event organisers should read the official Home Office and SIA guidance and take suitable advice where needed.
Why this winter matters
Martyn’s Law exists because publicly accessible places can become targets. It is named after Martyn Hett, one of the 22 people killed in the Manchester Arena attack in May 2017. His mother, Figen Murray OBE, campaigned for stronger duties on venues and events after the attack.
The Manchester Arena Inquiry also sharpened attention on preparedness. The key lesson for organisers is not that every risk can be eliminated. It cannot. The lesson is that places bringing people together should think ahead, train people, and have clear plans for what to do if something serious happens.
Festive events make this real. A light trail through a park, a town-centre ice rink, a carol concert, a pantomime queue or a christmas market can all create dense crowd movement. Some sites are purpose-built. Many are not. Streets, car parks, public squares and heritage spaces often have limits that only become obvious once visitors arrive.
That is why this winter should not be treated as “business as usual”. It is a chance to see the event as a live rehearsal for the standard of planning that will soon be expected.
Use the season as a live readiness exercise
Preparation does not start with a thick policy document. It starts with honest observation.
During busy events, someone should be tasked with watching how the site really works. That person should not also be dealing with ticketing, lost property or supplier problems. Their job is to look for pressure points and record them while the event is running.
Focus on questions such as:
Where do people naturally gather before entering?
Which queues block footways, roads or emergency access?
Which entrances work well, and which create confusion?
Where do families, older visitors or disabled visitors struggle to move?
Which areas become poorly supervised when staff are busy elsewhere?
How quickly do messages reach stewards, volunteers and contractors?
What happens when the weather worsens or a performance ends?
These details matter because written plans often assume neat behaviour. Real crowds rarely move neatly. People stop to take photos, wait for friends, push prams, avoid puddles, leave suddenly, or gather around short delays.
A cold evening with high footfall will teach more than a meeting room exercise ever can.
Map the whole crowd journey
A common mistake is to plan only inside the event boundary. Crowds do not experience an event that way. They experience a journey.
That journey may start at a railway station, bus stop, car park, taxi rank or nearby pub. It may pass through narrow pavements, road crossings, cash machines, toilets, food stalls and shopfronts before visitors reach the site. After the event, everyone may leave at the same time.
The safest plans look beyond the official perimeter.
Arrival needs more attention than the entrance
Visitors often bunch before they reach ticket checks or stewarded gates. This can happen because signage is unclear, search arrangements take longer than expected, or people arrive earlier than planned.
Look at the approach routes in poor weather and low light. Ask whether visitors can see where to go. Check whether queues interfere with passing pedestrians. Watch whether stewards can explain delays without leaving their posts.
Small changes can make a large difference. More visible wayfinding, a better-positioned barrier line, or an additional steward at the right corner can prevent confusion.
Exit planning should assume a sudden change
Many festive events already plan for normal closing. Fewer test what happens if part of the site has to be cleared quickly.
Evacuation planning should cover more than “leave by the nearest exit”. Consider whether exits are wide enough, whether people will recognise them in the dark, and whether staff know where to direct crowds once they are outside.
A safe exit route that leads into a blocked street, live traffic or another dense crowd may only move the problem.
Test the basics before enforcement begins
The details of the Act will depend on the type and scale of premises or event. The official guidance should be the reference point for thresholds, duties and compliance. Still, there are common areas that every organiser can begin testing now.
Give people clear roles
When something goes wrong, vague responsibility creates delay. Plans should make clear who can make decisions, who contacts emergency services, who speaks to stewards, who manages contractors, and who records what has happened.
This does not mean every volunteer needs a long manual. It means people need to know:
What they are responsible for
Who they report to
How they raise a concern
What they should do if communications fail
When to stop normal activity and escalate
Role clarity is especially useful at events that rely on seasonal staff, volunteers or multiple suppliers. People who have only joined for a short run need simple, direct instructions.
Keep communications practical
Radio plans often look fine on paper. They can fail quickly in noisy, crowded or built-up environments.
This winter, test communications during peak periods. Check whether radios work at the edges of the site. Make sure key staff know the correct channels. Agree plain language for serious incidents, so people do not waste time decoding unclear messages.
Back-up plans matter too. If the radio network fails, can team leaders use runners, phones or fixed meeting points? If mobile signal drops because of crowd density, what happens next?
A good plan does not depend on one perfect system.
Practise judgement, not just procedure
Security preparation is not only about written instructions. Staff and stewards need the confidence to notice when something does not feel right and raise it without fear of being dismissed.
Briefings should cover the kinds of behaviour or situations that need attention, while avoiding stereotyping or assumptions about appearance. The focus should be on behaviour, context and changes in normal patterns.
A short pre-event briefing can be more useful than a long policy that nobody reads. Keep it specific to the venue, date and crowd.
Work with partners before the busy nights
No event exists in isolation. Local authorities, police, transport operators, nearby businesses, landowners, medical providers and private security teams may all affect how well a plan works.
The best time to build these links is before the busiest nights.
For town-centre events, the most useful conversations often involve shared spaces. A queue outside one venue may block access to another. A road closure may push crowds towards a narrow lane. A transport delay may increase pressure at an entrance. A late-night dispersal plan may depend on taxi ranks, buses and car parks outside the organiser’s direct control.
Partnership does not need to be complicated. Start with shared assumptions:
Expected peak arrival and departure times
Road closures and vehicle access
Emergency access routes
Stewarding positions near public boundaries
Lost child and welfare procedures
Contact details for live event control
Decisions that need police or local authority input
If the event is repeated over several weekends, review each one. A short debrief after a busy Saturday can improve the following Friday.
Record lessons while they are fresh
Preparing for Martyn’s Law should not become a paperwork exercise for its own sake. Records are useful when they show real thinking, real decisions and real improvement.
After each event, capture a short written review. It should be simple enough that it actually gets done.
Include:
What worked well
Where crowd pressure appeared
Any near misses or concerns
Any communication problems
Feedback from stewards and contractors
Changes to make before the next event
Decisions that need senior sign-off
Photos can help, especially for layouts, queues and pinch points. Make sure any images are handled appropriately and avoid unnecessary personal data.
The aim is to build evidence of learning. If a problem appears on the first weekend and the layout changes on the second, record that. If a stewarding position proved more useful than expected, note it for next year. If a planned route failed because visitors ignored it, update the plan rather than blaming the crowd.
Good records make future planning easier. They also help new team members understand why decisions were made.
Use winter to improve training
Training does not have to mean a full-day course for everyone involved. It should match the role and the risk.
For many event teams, a layered approach works well.
General staff and volunteers need a short briefing on the site, reporting routes and what to do in an emergency. Stewards need more detail on crowd movement, suspicious activity, evacuation support and escalation. Managers need to understand decision-making, emergency liaison and record keeping.
Tabletop exercises can also help. Use realistic winter scenarios, not abstract threats. For example:
A power issue affects part of the event site during peak footfall.
A suspicious item is reported near an entrance queue.
Severe weather forces a temporary closure.
A transport delay causes crowding at the end of the evening.
A medical incident blocks a key route.
The purpose is not to catch people out. It is to reveal confusion before a real incident does.
Training should also include welfare. Winter events are tiring. Cold, rain, noise and long hours affect judgement. Staff who are hungry, cold or unsure of their breaks are less likely to spot problems or communicate well.
Think about proportionate physical measures
Security measures should fit the event, the site and the risk. Overly heavy measures can make a family event feel hostile. Weak measures can leave obvious gaps.
The right answer often lies in proportionate changes, such as better lighting, clearer routes, well-placed barriers, visible stewarding, controlled vehicle access, and planned search arrangements where appropriate.
For outdoor festive events, vehicle movement deserves careful thought. Deliveries, emergency access, traders, maintenance teams and authorised vehicles may all need entry at different times. The plan should show who can approve access, how vehicles are checked, and which areas must stay clear.
Avoid relying on a single measure. A barrier without staff may be moved. A sign without lighting may be missed. A search process without queue planning may create a new crowd risk.
Physical safety works best when it supports the wider plan.
What good preparation looks like by the end of winter
By the end of the festive season, organisers should be in a stronger position than they were at the start.
That does not mean every document is finished or every answer is perfect. It means the organisation has moved from assumption to evidence.
A well-prepared team should be able to show:
A clearer understanding of crowd flow and weak points
Updated site plans based on real event conditions
Better role descriptions for staff, stewards and contractors
Tested communication routes and back-up options
More useful relationships with local partners
Short records of incidents, lessons and improvements
Training plans that reflect the actual site and event type
A realistic list of changes to make before the Act is enforced
The phrase Martyns Law may appear in searches, briefings and supplier conversations, but the work behind it is practical. It is about people knowing what to do, spaces being planned with care, and risks being treated seriously before pressure arrives.
This winter offers a rare chance to prepare while events are live and lessons are easy to see. Use the season well. Watch how crowds behave, test the plan in real conditions, listen to the people working on the ground, and make improvements while there is still time.
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