Are You Ready for Martyn’s Law? AUCSO Launches New Video to Help Universities Prepare

Sector-led film brings university leaders, security specialists and frontline officers together to explain what institutions should be doing now.

The Association of University Chief Security Officers (AUCSO) is launching a new video urging universities and higher education institutions to use the implementation period for Martyn’s Law to ensure their security and emergency arrangements are ready.

The film brings together university leaders, strategic security specialists and frontline campus security professionals to explain what the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 means for higher education and the practical steps that institutions should be taking now to protect students, staff and visitors.
It accompanies AUCSO’s TO PROTECT Model: A Practical Approach for Implementing Protect Duty (Martyn’s Law) Responsibilities – a sector-led framework developed specifically to support higher education institutions as they prepare for the new legislation.

At the heart of both is a clear message: preparing for Martyn’s Law is about more than compliance. It is about an institution’s fundamental duty of care to its students, staff, visitors and wider community.
The film features contributions from Professor Shearer West CBE, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Leeds; Dilip Amin, Executive Chair of AUCSO’s CONTEST Special Interest Group and Security Services Manager at the University of Reading; Geoff Brown, Chair of AUCSO; and a campus security officer, bringing perspectives from institutional leadership, strategic security management, sector representation and frontline campus security.

Together, they explore the responsibilities Martyn’s Law will place on higher education institutions, the importance of senior accountability and cross-university collaboration, and the practical measures required to protect students, staff and visitors.

Geoff Brown, Chair of AUCSO, said:

“Martyn’s Law represents an important moment for our sector. Universities now have an opportunity to review, test and strengthen their arrangements before the legislation comes into force.

“Our message is simple: use this implementation period well. Good preparedness is not only about meeting the requirements of the Act; it is about ensuring our university communities are as safe, resilient and well prepared as they can be.”

Universities thrive on being open, welcoming and accessible. However, their size, complexity and public-facing nature mean that many institutions operate numerous premises and events which may fall within the scope of Martyn’s Law.

Large lecture theatres, graduation venues, accommodation complexes, sports facilities and other university spaces may fall within the enhanced tier. Importantly, the legislation allows a “premises” to comprise a building, part of a building or a group of buildings and associated land, meaning many university campuses are likely to meet the enhanced-tier threshold when considered as a whole.

The video explains four essential areas of preparedness:

• Communication – warning staff, students and members of the public quickly, while providing the police and emergency services with vital information.
• Evacuation – moving people safely away from danger.
• Invacuation – directing people into secure internal locations.
• Lockdown – securing premises to prevent entry or exit where necessary.

It also considers physical protection measures including hostile vehicle mitigation, CCTV, surveillance and access control, alongside the importance of governance, risk assessment, training and clearly defined accountability.

Julie Barker, Chief Operating Officer of AUCSO, said:

“Universities are among the most open, diverse and complex environments in the country. That openness is fundamental to university life, but it also means that institutions must think carefully about how they prepare for and respond to serious incidents.

“Martyn’s Law should not be viewed simply as a compliance exercise. Protecting students, staff and visitors is a shared institutional responsibility and an essential part of the pastoral commitment universities make to their communities.

“The TO PROTECT Model and the new video, called Martyn’s Law TO PROTECT, bring perspectives together from university leadership, strategic security management and frontline campus security. They have been developed by people who understand both the institutional responsibilities created by Martyn’s Law and the practical realities of protecting complex university environments.”

The video highlights the importance of establishing clear responsibility at senior level. Under Martyn’s Law, the responsible person and, where applicable, the senior designated individual will have important duties in relation to ensuring that an institution meets the requirements of the legislation.

It also encourages universities to examine how their existing emergency plans align with the Act and to ensure that procedures are understood, coordinated and regularly tested.

AUCSO is already actively engaged with the Security Industry Authority, which will regulate Martyn’s Law, including involvement in the testing of systems and the development of regulatory guidance. It is also working with the NaCTSO, and the Department for Education to help ensure that the particular characteristics and requirements of higher education are properly understood as preparations for implementation continue.

To strengthen collaboration across the sector, AUCSO established Higher Education Associations Group. The group brings together relevant organisations to share information, expertise and emerging guidance and to support a coordinated approach to Martyn’s Law across higher education.

Julie continued:

“Universities are not starting from scratch. The sector already has considerable expertise in protective security, emergency management, business continuity and major event planning.

“The priority now is to review those arrangements through the lens of Martyn’s Law. Institutions need to ask whether responsibilities are clear, whether plans connect effectively across different departments and premises, and whether those plans would work in practice during a fast-moving incident.

“No single university or security team should have to approach this work in isolation. By working together, sharing expertise and engaging constructively with the SIA and the Department for Education, we can help create safer and more resilient university communities.”

The video concludes by encouraging institutions to adopt a proactive mindset and use the implementation period to ensure that their security and emergency plans are ready.

The TO PROTECT video can be viewed here:

The TO PROTECT Model: A Practical Approach for Implementing Protect Duty (Martyn’s Law) Responsibilities is available at AUCSO-TO-PROTECT-Model-2026.pdf.