The UK’s resilience to terrorism is to be stepped up, as the government announces details for the Protect Duty, now to be known as ‘Martyn’s Law’ in tribute of Martyn Hett, who was killed alongside 21 others in the Manchester Arena terrorist attack in 2017.
ACRE will be producing an information sheet to help Village Halls meet the requirement when this completes its consultation and committee stages, and importantly becomes law.
Presently, it is not law and there is no tangible legislation upon which to base any advice or recommendations. During a recent seminar with Government Officials, arranged by ACRE it was made clear that until the legislation is passed by Parliament, no advice can be given about compliance. The Government Officials made it clear they did not recommend any third parties offering help to comply with Martyn’s Law, as those parties did not have the information needed to offer such a service.
In view of this, Trustees should be cautious about accepting any offers received.
Further information on Martyn’s law is available at:
Martyn’s Law to ensure stronger protections against terrorism in public places – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)