Background
Martyn’s Law, officially the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, is a UK law that requires venues and events to improve their security and preparedness for potential terrorist attacks. It establishes a tiered system based on venue capacity, requiring those with a capacity of 200 or more people, including places of worship, to conduct risk assessments and implement mitigation measures like staff training, emergency plans, and evacuation procedures.
What this means for churches
- The Act places a legal duty on those responsible for certain premises to consider how they would respond to a terrorist attack, and in some cases to take steps to reduce the vulnerability of the premises.
- For most places of worship the government has stated the requirements are not intended to be onerous or require large physical investment.
- A key threshold is whether it is reasonable to expect that 200 or more individuals may be present at the same time, even if only occasionally. If so, the building falls within scope (so-called “standard tier”).
- Importantly for places of worship: even if a church might host 800+ people for some events, such as concerts, if its principal use is as a place of worship it remains in the standard tier, not the enhanced tier.
Timing & current status
- Although the Act has become law, the implementation period is at least 24 months. That means that, at the time of writing, churches are not yet required to comply with the full statutory regime.
- The government has committed to publishing advice and guidance to help churches understand and comply with the Act. This will also be reported on the Church of England website.
What you should do now
Although full enforcement is not yet in place, we strongly encourage every church in the Diocese to use this time proactively to ensure readiness. Suggested steps include:
- Identify the responsible person for your building(s). For a place of worship this is the person or body in control of the premises in its principal use.
- Review attendance figures to assess whether your building has occasions when 200+ individuals may be present at the same time, even if only occasionally. If 200+ is reasonably expected, the building is in scope. If less than 200, the Act does not apply but good practice still applies.
- Carry out a basic preparedness review focussed on four key areas identified by the Historic Religious Buildings Alliance (HRBA):
- Evacuation (how people would leave safely)
- Invacuation (how people would move to a safer part of the building)
- Lockdown (how the building would be secured in the event of threat)
- Communication (how people on site would be alerted or instructed)
- Embed these themes in existing risk-assessment and security work, alongside the broader advice found in the Church of England’s guidance on safety and security of church buildings.
- Take advantage of free training and resources. The government and its partner platforms (such as ProtectUK) offer e-learning modules, toolkits and awareness materials relevant to places of worship.
Key messages for churches
- Being prepared does not mean indiscriminate lockdown or turning churches into fortress-like buildings. The approach emphasises proportionate, ‘reasonably practicable’ steps tailored to the building, its use and context.
- The church remains a place of welcome, hospitality and community. Any measures taken should preserve the openness and mission of the building wherever possible. This reflects the Church of England’s advice that security must be proportionate and sensitive to the worship context.
- For smaller congregations or historic buildings that rarely host 200+ people the immediate legal requirements may not apply – but many of the preparedness practices remain good common sense.
- Keep this topic on your agenda. As we approach the full implementation date, the regulator and further guidance will follow – good preparation now will place your church in a stronger position.
Further information and links
Martyn’s law briefing nore – Historic Religious Buildings Alliance
Safety and security of church buildings – Church of England
Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025: Scope (events) – GOV.UK
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