The four procedures Martyn's Law asks for, in plain English
In short
For a standard-tier premises, the duty is to have procedures — so far as is reasonably practicable — for four things: getting people out, keeping them safe inside, locking the building, and telling people what to do. The law calls these evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication. Nothing has to be written down, and nothing has to be bought.
Key points
Section 5(3) of the Act names four separate procedures, not three and not five.
Evacuation is getting people away from danger by moving them out of the building.
Invacuation is moving people to a safer place inside the building — a different thing from evacuation, and from lockdown.
Lockdown is stopping people getting in, or getting out, of all or part of the building.
Communication is making sure people are told what to do, quickly and clearly.
Where this comes from
Section 5(3) of the Act lists the four procedures in these words: "for evacuating individuals from the premises or event" (a); "for moving individuals to a place on the premises or at the event where there is less risk of physical harm being caused to them" (b); "for preventing individuals entering or leaving the premises or event" (c); "for providing information to individuals on the premises or at the event" (d).
Invacuation and lockdown often get muddled together because both can involve a locked door, but the Act treats them as two distinct duties: one is about where people go, the other is about who can get in or out.
The statutory guidance's own definitions, at paragraph 7.11, put it plainly. Invacuation is "the process of moving people away from danger to a place within the premises … where there is less risk of physical harm being caused to them", including "bringing people into the premises … from outside". The same paragraph defines lockdown as "the process of securing the premises … to prevent individuals entering or leaving".
What "so far as is reasonably practicable" means for a hall
The duty is not absolute. Paragraph 7.21 says "appropriate" means "ensuring procedures are suitable, taking account of the context of the premises … and avoiding a one-size-fits-all approach" — a small church hall and a large leisure centre need different things. Paragraph 7.22 defines reasonably practicable as weighing "the objectives of the public protection procedures … against the cost, time and difficulty involved in implementing them" — which for most small halls points towards simple, low-cost plans.
Paragraph 7.15 adds a reassurance worth knowing: "the Act does not require separate procedures to be developed for every individual type of attack." One adaptable plan per procedure is enough — you do not need a different plan for every imaginable scenario.
Why this isn't about buying equipment
There is no separate duty at standard tier to make physical changes or buy security equipment. Paragraph 7.25 says so directly: "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 goes on to say that some modest changes "may be reasonably practicable" when putting these procedures in place, giving "changing how doors are locked or altering the location of shutter controls" as its own examples — a small change that is worth considering, not a general obligation to buy equipment.
Common questions
- Do we have to write our procedures down?
No. There is no legal requirement at standard tier to prepare a document setting out your procedures. See our guide on whether you need to write anything down for what that does and doesn't mean in practice.
- Do we need a different plan for every type of attack?
No. The guidance is explicit that one adaptable procedure per area — evacuation, invacuation, lockdown, communication — is enough. You don't need a bomb-specific plan and a separate attacker-specific plan.
- Is lockdown really a different thing from invacuation?
Yes. Invacuation is about where people go to be safer inside the building. Lockdown is about who can get in or out. A plan can use both at once, but the Act lists them as two separate duties.
Check your building, free
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Sources
Last reviewed 2 November 2026, against the statutory guidance of 15 April 2026 (corrected 6 August 2026).