Places of worship and new terrorism Act (Martyn's Law)

09 October 2025

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, in honour of Martyn Hett, who was killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena terrorist attack, passed on 3 April 2025, has a 24-month implementation period. During this period, the Home Office will publish the statutory guidance for organisations and premises.

An overview of the law can be found on the Protect UK website.

Martyn’s Law applies to many churches and places of worship, particularly the larger ones. There are exemptions for smaller venues and venues with specific uses. Churches with a public capacity above the threshold will be required to implement proportionate security measures. 

These measures will include: 
•  Evacuation procedures, 
•  Procedures for bringing people into a place of safety, 
•  Lockdown, 
•  Communication. 

Specific requirements will depend on the premises’ capacity and nature, with enhanced responsibilities for high-capacity venues, which will involve larger churches and more contemporary places of worship. 

Martyn’s Law and churches
Two-tier capacity-based requirements: 
•  Standard tier capacity 200 – 799 
•  An enhanced tier, 800+ 
 
Proportionate security measures: Churches and worship venues will be required to implement proportionate security measures. These include having plans for: 
•  Evacuation: How to get people out of the building safely. 
•  Invacuation: How to bring people into a safe area within the premises or move them to a safe zone. 
•  Lockdown: How to secure the premises against an attacker. 
•  Communication: How to alert people on the premises and move them away from danger. 

Exemptions: Venues with a capacity of less than 200 people are generally exempt from the mandatory requirements under the standard and enhanced tiers, although optional guidance and training will be available during the implementation period. 

Required actions: 
•  Determine your venue’s capacity and its tier status. 
•  Develop security procedures: for evacuation, invacuation, lockdown, and communication. 
•  Seek guidance: Review the statutory guidance to be published during the implementation period to understand the specific obligations in detail. Along with a few links below with more information, there is also a link to a video from The Church Office, which some may find more accessible.