Dates and enforcement
There is a lot of confident date-setting about Martyn's Law, much of it wrong. This is what has actually happened, what is genuinely still outstanding, and what the regulator can do once it starts.
Enforcement is expected in spring 2027. April 2027 is the earliest it can begin, because the Government committed to at least 24 months from Royal Assent. No enforcement action is being taken before then, by anyone, against anyone.
What has already happened
| When | What |
|---|---|
| May 2017 | The Manchester Arena attack. Martyn Hett was one of twenty-two people killed. |
| 2021 to 2024 | Consultation, a draft Bill, pre-legislative scrutiny, and a change of government. The Bill was reintroduced and carried through. |
| 3 April 2025 | Royal Assent. The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 becomes law, with a commitment to at least 24 months before it bites. |
| April 2026 | Home Office statutory guidance published, with an update in May. This is the document that tells a responsible person what good looks like. |
| During 2026 | The SIA consulted on its section 12 guidance, covering investigation and enforcement powers. The consultation has closed. |
What is still outstanding
- Final SIA section 12 guidance. Expected in autumn 2026. Until it is published, nobody can tell you exactly how the regulator will behave.
- The commencement regulations. The Act needs to be switched on by secondary legislation, and that is what fixes the actual date.
- The SIA's own operational readiness. The regulator has said it expects to be ready by early spring 2027.
Anyone quoting you a precise commencement date today is guessing. Anyone telling you enforcement has already started is wrong.
The work takes longer than the notice period suggests, not because it is hard, but because it is distributed. Writing procedures takes an afternoon. Getting every site to actually adopt them, and having the evidence to show it, takes a couple of cycles of people joining and leaving. If you start the month before commencement, your records will be a month old on the day they first matter.
What the SIA can do
The Security Industry Authority is the regulator. It already licences the private security industry, so it is not a new body learning to exist, but Martyn's Law adds a very large number of premises to its remit.
- Information notices. Requiring you to produce what you have.
- Compliance notices. Requiring you to do something, by a date.
- Restriction notices. At the serious end, limiting the use of premises.
- Monetary penalties. Up to £10,000 at standard tier. Substantially more at enhanced tier, calculated against turnover.
The SIA has been consistent in saying its starting posture is advice and guidance rather than penalties. That is genuinely reassuring for anyone making an honest effort, and it is not a reason to have nothing at all when they ask.
What being asked will look like
Not a raid. In practice, for standard tier, expect a request to produce your public protection procedures and evidence that your staff are aware of them. The awkward part is rarely the procedures. It is the evidence about the staff, because that is the part that goes stale between the day you write it and the day somebody asks.
Whatever the exact commencement date turns out to be, the interval you have is the one on the estate view, which counts down live. It is a shorter number than it looks when you have several hundred sites and each one needs its own named responsible person.
Dates on this page reflect what was published as at August 2026 and will be updated as commencement regulations and final SIA guidance appear. Check the primary sources before relying on any of it.
Primary sources: the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, understanding Martyn's Law and the SIA's role as regulator, and ProtectUK.