The compliance clock on Martyn's Law is running, even though enforcement is still the better part of a year away. The SIA's consultation on its draft section 12 guidance, which sets out how the regulator will use its powers, has closed. It drew nearly 200 detailed responses and engaged more than 1,800 people and organisations through a webinar programme, according to GOV.UK.
The timeline is now reasonably firm. The SIA has said it will publish its final section 12 guidance and a full consultation report in autumn 2026, and the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, better known as Martyn's Law, is expected to come into force from spring 2027.
The tone the SIA has set matters for how this will land. The regulator describes its approach as supportive, proportionate and risk-based, which points to guidance and improvement rather than immediate penalties in the early period. That is the window venues and their security providers have to get ready.
For operators, the practical move is to treat the next two seasons as preparation time. Map which tier a site falls into, work out what the standard actually requires of the people on the ground, and build the plan before the guidance is final rather than after. Close-protection and event-security teams working public venues will feel this directly once the duty bites, and the firms that are already fluent in it will have an edge.
