The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, known as Martyn's Law, introduces new legal duties on premises and events to plan for and respond to a terrorist attack. Here's where it actually stands, and what a system like OppAccred can and can't do about it.
Martyn's Law applies to publicly accessible premises and events, split into two tiers by capacity. Football grounds and most live sporting venues sit well within scope.
Premises must have simple, low-cost procedures in place: what to do if there's an attack, and how to evacuate or lock down.
Larger premises must also assess their vulnerability to an attack and take reasonable steps to reduce it, including how access and movement are controlled.
This page is general information, not legal advice. The Act's requirements are not yet enforceable, and the Home Office has confirmed an exact commencement date hasn't been set. Anyone responsible for a premises or event in scope should check current guidance directly with the Home Office, ProtectUK, or the Security Industry Authority (SIA), the appointed regulator, rather than relying on this page alone.
OppAccred doesn't make you compliant on its own, that depends on your whole security plan. What it does give you is the access-control and record-keeping side of the Act, already built in.
If the stadium needs to lock down, muster mode freezes every scanner and shows exactly who's where from the last scans recorded, built for an evacuation, not just day-to-day access.
Pull anyone's access and it takes effect at scan points and in the app immediately, no waiting for a print run or a manual list update.
Scan history and the live dashboard export as a report suitable for regulators or insurers, so you're not reconstructing who was where after the fact.
It applies by capacity, not by sport, so most professional football grounds are in scope. Premises where 200 to 799 people may be present fall into the standard tier, and those with 800 or more fall into the enhanced tier. Standard tier premises must notify the Security Industry Authority (SIA) and have appropriate public protection procedures in place. Enhanced tier premises must also put appropriate protective measures in place, including measures on the movement of people into, out of and within the venue, keep a documented record of them, and designate a senior individual responsible for compliance. The duties are not in force yet: the Act received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025 with an implementation period of at least 24 months. Check the SIA's guidance to confirm which tier applies to your ground.
Not on its own. Ticketing and turnstiles cover spectators, but on a matchday a lot of people come in without a ticket: stewards and club staff, broadcast crews, press, contractors, caterers, medical teams, hospitality guests and the visiting club's travelling party. For enhanced tier venues, the Act asks you to consider measures on the movement of people into, out of and within the premises, and that includes these groups. An accreditation system like OppAccred is how you know who they are and what they've been approved for, and with scanning, who is actually on site.
No. The Act doesn't require any particular technology, and standard tier premises don't have to install physical security measures or buy equipment. What matters is that your procedures and, for enhanced tier venues, your measures are appropriate and documented. Software like OppAccred can support the access control and record-keeping side of that, but it doesn't make a venue compliant on its own.