As part of Manchester’s commitment to public safety and the principles of Martyn’s Law, CityCo is working with partners Manchester City Council, Greater Manchester Police and Counter Terrorism Policing North West to roll-out security training for hospitality venues.
Martyn’s Law, named in memory of Manchester Arena Terror Attack victim, Martyn Hett, refers to a set of principles aimed at improving safety and security measures at public places.
On Tuesday 16th November CityCo coordinated a training session for 150 venues and premises, with another planned in February. The training includes how premises can identify security vulnerabilities, and how to identify and respond to suspicious behaviour.
With many thank to Martyn’s mother Figen Murray for speaking and the many businesses that attended.
Principles of Martyn’s Law
Martyn’s Law contains five key requirements:
• A requirement that spaces and places to which the public have access engage with freely available counter-terrorism advice and training.
• A requirement for those places to conduct vulnerability assessments of their operating places and spaces.
• A requirement for those places to mitigate the risks created by the vulnerabilities.
• A requirement for those places to have a counter-terrorism plan.
• A requirement for local authorities to plan for the threat of terrorism.
In January 2020 Manchester City Council voted to enshrine Martyn’s Law in future licensing procedures.
Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar, Executive Member for Manchester City Council Neighbourhoods, said: “Sadly we live in an age where acts of terror are carried out against ordinary people. Manchester bears the scars of past terror attacks and it is this collective memory which urges us to prevent such traumatic events happening again.
“There is nothing we can do to erase the events of the past, but we can take steps to protect against future ones. We know that in the event of terror attacks being prepared is key which is why we’re extending free training to hospitality venues across the city.
“We pray staff will never need to use the knowledge they gain but we would be failing in our duty as a Council if we do not act now.”
