What Training Do Staff Need for Martyn’s Law?

Staff at premises covered by Martyn’s Law are best served by training in layers. Every team member gets general awareness, supervisors and people who activate emergency procedures get role-specific instruction, and enhanced tier sites add planning and leadership learning. The statutory guidance encourages training that suits each person's job and the premises they work in. The courses described below are optional and can support preparation ahead of the April 2027 compliance expectation, and none are a legal requirement.

The selection covers common scenarios and leaves out some specialist courses. It offers general guidance, and compliance depends on your own procedures, tier, and risk picture. Trusted sources such as the Home Office and ProtectUK remain the best places to confirm which trainings suit your premises.

Baseline Awareness Training That Suits Every Team Member

The statutory guidance describes a common starting point for all workers: recognising that an incident is possible at any moment, having a practical sense of what looks out of place, and knowing how to pass a concern to the right person. Contractors, volunteers, and agency workers belong in this group alongside permanent employees, because anyone on site could be the first to notice something unusual.

Free options make a convenient starting point, ProtectUK, the police-run advice hub, hosts the ACT Awareness e-Learning course, which takes roughly an hour, suits any job type and received a refresh in June 2026 to match current national advice. SCaN for All Staff, developed by the National Protective Security Authority with the City of London Police's National Disruptive Effects Unit, teaches workers how to spot hostile reconnaissance and what to do afterwards. The Home Office's supplementary document on ACT products sets these tools beside the ideas behind them, such as Run Hide Tell and the HOT protocol.

Local licensing teams sometimes add expectations of their own. Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, for instance, lists licence conditions asking on-duty staff and door supervisors to finish ACT Awareness e-learning. A short chat with your own licensing authority will show whether something similar applies locally. Many premises also place baseline training in new-starter induction and repeat it yearly, which is good practice to consider.

Role-Specific Training for Supervisors, Security Teams and Managers

The guidance points out that supervisors and anyone who triggers a procedure may need deeper instruction than the wider workforce. Standard tier premises, which cover capacities of 200 to 799 people (the Martyn’s Law tiers comparison explains the split), often find these options helpful.

1. Procedure Drills for Duty Managers - Managers rehearse choosing between evacuation, invacuation and lockdown, giving brief and clear instructions and contacting the emergency services. A walk-through during a quiet period builds confidence quickly.
2. SCaN for Customer-Facing Teams - An interactive three-hour course aimed at people who speak with visitors all day. Topics include noticing unusual behaviour, making friendly contact with visitors and reporting concerns.
3. SCaN for Line Managers - A short module on insider risk helps supervisors recognise changes in behaviour or access patterns within their own teams.
4. Tabletop Scenarios - ProtectUK provides ACT in a Box exercises so colleagues can talk through an incident in their own workplace. The material has been under revision, so confirm you have the current version.
5. Security Team Briefings - Door supervisors and security staff can pair general awareness with site-specific briefings covering entry points, escalation routes and their part in a lockdown.

Training Focus Areas for the Most Common Premises Types

Each premises type carries its own pressures. The list below offers starting points for typical settings, and your own risk picture should shape the final mix.

• Pubs, Bars and Restaurants - Busy shifts and regular new starters make brief, repeatable briefings valuable. Door and floor staff gain from practising how to guide customers to exits or a safe area in a crowded room.
• Retail Units and Shopping Centres - Shared public areas mean tenant staff and centre management benefit from joint sessions. Clear contact routes between individual units and the control room deserve extra attention.
• Theatres, Cinemas and Event Venues - Large crowds and plenty of temporary workers make a pre-event briefing for stewards and ushers worthwhile. Useful topics include steering crowds and quickly relaying information to managers.
• Places of Worship and Community Halls - Volunteers often make up most of the team, so accessible, proportionate sessions work best. The 200-person threshold applies even if you reach it only now and then, so check your largest gatherings.
• Schools, Colleges and Universities - Settings from early years through further education always sit in the standard tier, while higher education providers with 800 or more people on site move up to the enhanced tier. The Department for Education's protective security and preparedness guidance offers a helpful reference, and training for governors, senior leaders and staff can fit alongside existing safeguarding cycles.
• Healthcare Settings - Clinical and non-clinical teams hold different responsibilities, so sessions work best when they reflect each setting. Colleagues who trigger procedures benefit from more detailed instruction.

Extra Learning for Enhanced Tier Sites and Senior Leaders

Premises and events able to hold 800 or more people sit in the enhanced tier. When an organisation is the responsible person, it must name a senior individual to oversee compliance. That person may delegate tasks to colleagues but remains accountable for the outcome, so a firm grasp of the duties matters. Enhanced tier sites also maintain a security document supported by a terrorism risk assessment, and the SIA acts as regulator, as the overview explains how the SIA will enforce Martyn’s Law.

These options suit larger sites and the people who lead them.

• Briefings for the Senior Individual - Short sessions on the Act's duties, the security document and regulator expectations help the named person carry out the role with confidence.
• Risk Assessment Skills - People who compile the security document gain from structured learning on weighing terrorism risk and recording how each measure reduces harm.
• Decision-Maker Briefings - SCaN offers a strategic session of around 30 minutes for senior executives, which slots easily into a board or leadership meeting.
• Joint Exercises - Security teams, stewards, contractors and venue partners can rehearse together so handovers feel familiar on the day.
• Professional Qualifications - Awards such as the Counter-Terrorism Protective Security and Preparedness (CTPSaP) qualification develop deeper capability. No qualification alone makes a site compliant, so treat it as one input among several.

A Practical Plan for Scheduling and Recording Staff Training

A simple plan keeps training manageable. The steps below suit most premises and can be adjusted to size.

1. Confirm Your Tier - Compare capacity and premises type with the statutory guidance to see which duties apply.
2. Map Roles to Layers - List every role and place it in the baseline, role-specific or leadership group.
3. Select and Tailor Modules - Choose courses that reflect your sector, layout and procedures, and consult a trusted source such as ProtectUK when unsure.
4. Keep Clear Records - Note who completed which session and when. A tidy record shows what you've delivered, which helps if questions come up later.
5. Refresh at Sensible Moments - Repeat sessions each year and whenever procedures, layouts or staffing change.

Building a Training Plan That Fits Your Premises

Martyn’s Law training works well as a layered effort. Everyone receives baseline awareness, supervisors and security teams practise the procedures they will run, and enhanced tier sites add planning and leadership learning. The courses covered here are optional aids that can support preparation, and they sit beside the legal duty to maintain suitable procedures. Because each venue differs, review the statutory guidance and ProtectUK resources for current training options before settling on a programme. Completing a free baseline course this quarter gives your team a head start while you plan the remaining layers.

Want to talk through how Martyn’s Law fits into how your site handles people, deliveries, day-to-day routines? Talk to us and our team will be glad to help.

Disclaimer: This content offers general information and guidance only. It does not constitute legal advice and cannot confirm compliance with the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025. Requirements depend on each premises' tier, circumstances and the current statutory guidance. Please check official sources and seek qualified advice for your own situation.

Expert FAQ

What Training Do Staff Need for Martyn’s Law?

Guidance encourages awareness training for all staff and extra role-specific instruction for supervisors, though specific courses are optional.

How Can Premises Get Free Counter-Terrorism Training?

ProtectUK offers free ACT Awareness e-Learning, and SCaN for All Staff is available free through the National Protective Security Authority.

How Often Should Staff Repeat Martyn’s Law Training?

Annual refreshers are sensible practice, with extra sessions whenever procedures change or new staff join.

Why Does One Qualification Not Guarantee Martyn’s Law Compliance?

Compliance also depends on procedures, risk assessment and records, so a qualification covers only one part of the picture.

Why Is Role-Specific Training Emphasised in the Guidance?

People who activate procedures or supervise others need deeper instruction than the wider workforce to respond effectively.