Does a volunteer-run hall need to install new locks or alarms?

Not as a blanket rule. The test is whether a change is reasonably practicable, which means weighing what it achieves against its cost, time and difficulty — a decision for the people running the hall, not something imposed in advance.

Will Martyn's Law require us to employ security staff?

No. Employing security staff, or anything resembling it, is not part of the standard-tier duty. That kind of requirement sits under section 6, which applies only to the enhanced tier.

Does this mean we should do nothing physical at all?

Not necessarily. The Act does not require it, but paragraph 7.25 recognises that small, proportionate changes — such as how a door is locked — can be worth making once you have worked out what your procedures actually need. That is a choice, not a duty.

Does Martyn's Law require security guards or bag searches?

In short

No. At the standard tier, the Act asks a responsible person to notify the SIA and to have procedures for evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication, so far as reasonably practicable — it does not ask anyone to buy equipment, hire guards or search bags. A few very small changes, such as how a door is locked, may be worth making when those procedures are put together, but nothing in the Act requires it.

Key points

Standard tier has two duties: notify the SIA, and have procedures of four kinds — evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication — so far as reasonably practicable.
There is no statutory requirement to make physical alterations to the building or to buy equipment in order to meet those duties.
Small changes, such as how a door is locked or where a shutter control sits, may be reasonably practicable when a procedure is put in place — that is different from being required.
Security guards, bag searches and screening are not part of the standard-tier duty. They sit under a different part of the Act that applies only to the enhanced tier.
There are no SIA fees and no mandated training for the standard tier.

What the standard tier actually asks for

The standard-duty requirements factsheet describes two duties only: notify the SIA, and have public protection procedures "so far as is reasonably practicable". Those procedures fall into four areas, set out in section 5(3) of the Act — evacuation, invacuation (moving people to a safer place inside), lockdown (stopping people entering or leaving) and communication (giving people information and instructions). None of the four is about equipment, screening or personnel. They are about what a committee and its volunteers do if something happens, not what it buys beforehand.

Where "no physical measures" needs a careful word

It is tempting to say the Act requires nothing physical, and an earlier version of guidance to this effect was too absolute. The statutory guidance, at paragraph 7.25, is more precise: "There is no statutory requirement in the Act to make any physical alterations or to purchase specific equipment relating to putting public protection procedures in place." It then adds that in some circumstances it may be reasonably practicable to do so, giving "changing how doors are locked or altering the location of shutter controls" as its own examples.

So the honest position is two-sided. There is no legal obligation to alter the building or buy anything. But if, in working out how your hall would carry out a lockdown or an invacuation, a small, proportionate change makes the procedure workable — moving a shutter control that is currently out of reach, say — that change can be reasonably practicable even though it was never mandatory. Whether it is depends on weighing the objective against the cost, time and difficulty involved, a judgement for the responsible person, not a fixed rule.

Guards, bag searches and training sit elsewhere

Searching bags, screening visitors or employing security staff are associated with section 6 of the Act, which applies to enhanced-tier premises — broadly, those expecting 800 or more people — not to the standard tier most halls, churches, schools and clubs fall into. A standard-tier committee is never asked to introduce any of this. ProtectUK's FAQs (15 October 2026) also confirm there are no SIA fees for standard-tier premises, and no mandated training requirement — people with a role need to understand it and be able to carry it out, which a briefing can achieve, but there is no statutory course to attend.

Common questions

Does a volunteer-run hall need to install new locks or alarms?: Not as a blanket rule. The test is whether a change is reasonably practicable, which means weighing what it achieves against its cost, time and difficulty — a decision for the people running the hall, not something imposed in advance.
Will Martyn's Law require us to employ security staff?: No. Employing security staff, or anything resembling it, is not part of the standard-tier duty. That kind of requirement sits under section 6, which applies only to the enhanced tier.
Does this mean we should do nothing physical at all?: Not necessarily. The Act does not require it, but paragraph 7.25 recognises that small, proportionate changes — such as how a door is locked — can be worth making once you have worked out what your procedures actually need. That is a choice, not a duty.

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Sources

Last reviewed 2 November 2026, against the statutory guidance of 15 April 2026 (corrected 6 August 2026).