The Security Industry Authority published its latest monthly enforcement report on Monday — its regular transparency read on criminal investigations, written warnings, improvement notices and joint enforcement operations (GOV.UK). The monthly figures rarely move the market on their own, but they are the visible edge of a regulator now gearing up for a much bigger job.
That job is Martyn's Law — the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act — which makes the SIA the regulator for counter-terrorism preparedness at public venues. The consultation on the SIA's Section 12 guidance, covering how it will advise, inspect and penalise, closed last month after drawing close to 200 detailed responses; final guidance and the full consultation report are due in autumn 2026 (Counter Terror Business; GOV.UK).
The duty itself is expected to come into force in spring 2027, and the shape is now clear enough to plan against. Premises fall into two tiers: a standard tier for venues where 200 to 799 people may be present, requiring notification to the SIA and public-protection procedures; and an enhanced tier for 800-plus, adding measures such as bag searches, CCTV, monitoring and vehicle checks (GOV.UK). The SIA has been standing up its regulatory functions since April 2025 and plans to open an online notification portal for testing from early 2027.
For operators, the practical point has not changed since the guidance dropped: the clock is running but enforcement is not here yet. Use the runway. If you provide security into venues and events, know which tier your sites fall in, get the procedures drafted, and be ready to notify — rather than waiting for the spring-2027 switch and scrambling. The firms that treat this as a live project now will be the ones venues want on the books when the duty bites.
