Preparedness Reviews
Independent reviews of existing arrangements designed to identify strengths, vulnerabilities and opportunities for improvement.
Martyn's Law Advisory Services
Helping Organisations Improve Preparedness, Resilience and Protective Security
The security landscape facing organisations continues to evolve.
Recent years have demonstrated the devastating impact that terrorism and other serious incidents can have on individuals, organisations and communities. In response, the United Kingdom has introduced Martyn's Law, formally known as the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act, designed to improve preparedness and strengthen protective security arrangements within publicly accessible locations.
Whilst the legislation introduces new responsibilities for many organisations, the principles behind Martyn's Law are not new.
Understanding risk.
Planning for foreseeable threats.
Protecting people.
Preparing for emergencies.
Building organisational resilience.
King's Tree Security Consultancy provides independent advisory support designed to help organisations understand these principles, assess current arrangements and identify practical opportunities for improvement.
Our focus is on preparedness, resilience and proportionate protective security measures that support both compliance objectives and wider organisational security goals.
What Is Martyn's Law?
Martyn's Law was introduced following recommendations arising from the public inquiry into the Manchester Arena attack.
The legislation seeks to improve protective security and preparedness at publicly accessible locations by encouraging organisations to consider the risks they face and implement proportionate measures to reduce the likelihood and impact of terrorist incidents.
The legislation recognises a simple reality:
Prepared organisations are often better able to respond to incidents, protect people and support recovery.
Whilst the precise obligations applicable to individual organisations will vary, the overarching objective remains consistent:
To improve preparedness and strengthen resilience.
A Practical and Proportionate Approach
Many organisations become concerned when new legislation is introduced.
Questions often arise regarding:
- What does this mean for us?
- What are we expected to do?
- Are our current arrangements sufficient?
- Where should we focus our efforts?
- How can we improve preparedness without unnecessary expense?
King's Tree Security Consultancy believes that effective protective security should be proportionate, practical and tailored to the organisation concerned.
Our role is not to create unnecessary complexity.
Our role is to help organisations understand vulnerabilities, identify priorities and implement realistic improvements appropriate to their circumstances.
Why Preparedness Matters
Terrorist attacks remain rare events.
However, preparedness is not solely about terrorism.
The principles underpinning Martyn's Law often improve organisational resilience more broadly.
Measures designed to improve preparedness may also support:
- Emergency response capability
- Incident management
- Business continuity
- Staff awareness
- Visitor safety
- Crisis decision making
- Organisational resilience
Many organisations discover that improvements made in support of Martyn's Law also strengthen their ability to respond to a wide range of other emergencies and disruptive events.
How We Can Help
Every organisation is different.
Our advisory services are tailored to the size, complexity and nature of each organisation.
Support may include:
Vulnerability Assessments
Assessments examining physical, procedural and organisational vulnerabilities that may affect preparedness.
Protective Security Advice
Guidance informed by recognised protective security principles and good practice.
Governance Reviews
Consideration of roles, responsibilities, accountability and decision-making arrangements relating to protective security and preparedness.
Emergency Planning Considerations
Review of existing plans, procedures and response arrangements.
Organisational Resilience Reviews
Assessment of broader resilience measures that support preparedness and recovery.
Staff Awareness and Security Culture
Policies and procedures alone do not create resilience.
People remain one of the most important components of organisational preparedness.
A strong security culture helps ensure that staff:
- Understand their responsibilities
- Recognise suspicious behaviour
- Report concerns appropriately
- Understand emergency procedures
- Respond effectively during incidents
Awareness, confidence and preparedness can significantly influence organisational outcomes during emergencies.
Vulnerability Assessments and Converged Security
Martyn's Law should not be viewed solely through the lens of physical security.
Effective preparedness often requires consideration of multiple interconnected areas.
These may include:
Physical Security
- Access control
- Perimeter arrangements
- Building security
- Visitor management
Personnel Security
- Staff awareness
- Insider threat considerations
- Contractor management
Technical Security
- Information handling
- Communications resilience
- Technology vulnerabilities
Cyber Resilience
Martyn's Law preparedness should also consider basic cyber resilience where it affects incident response, communications, business continuity and organisational readiness.
A disruptive incident may be made worse if an organisation cannot communicate effectively, access key information, notify staff, recover systems or maintain essential operations.
Cyber considerations may include:
- Access to emergency contact information
- Secure storage of response plans
- Backup arrangements
- Multi-factor authentication
- Device security
- Phishing awareness
- Communications resilience
- Remote access arrangements
- Business continuity following cyber disruption
This is not a cyber security audit or penetration test.
The purpose is to consider basic cyber resilience as part of wider organisational preparedness and recommend specialist cyber support where appropriate.
Governance
- Risk ownership
- Security responsibilities
- Decision-making structures
Organisational Resilience
- Business continuity
- Incident response
- Recovery planning
This reflects the principles of converged security, recognising that vulnerabilities often emerge across multiple areas rather than from a single weakness.
Engineering, Manufacturing and SME Organisations
Whilst Martyn's Law is often associated with publicly accessible locations, many organisations are also recognising wider benefits from reviewing preparedness arrangements.
Engineering businesses, manufacturers and SMEs frequently host visitors, contractors, suppliers, customers and stakeholders.
Preparedness reviews can help these organisations better understand vulnerabilities, strengthen resilience and improve emergency planning arrangements.
The focus is always on practical measures appropriate to the organisation concerned.
What Clients Receive
Depending upon the agreed scope, deliverables may include:
- Preparedness Review Report
- Vulnerability Assessment
- Executive Summary
- Strategic Recommendations
- Prioritised Action Plan
- Governance Recommendations
- Resilience Improvement Recommendations
Reports are designed to provide practical guidance and realistic improvement opportunities rather than generic observations.
Important Information
King's Tree Security Consultancy provides advisory support only.
We do not certify compliance and do not provide legal advice.
Legislation, guidance and implementation expectations may continue to evolve.
Our role is to help organisations improve preparedness, strengthen resilience and make informed decisions regarding protective security and organisational readiness.
Where appropriate, organisations should seek specialist legal, regulatory or technical advice.
Why King's Tree Security Consultancy?
This service combines:
- Protective Security Adviser qualification (CertPSA4)
- Investigative experience
- Organisational risk awareness
- Governance understanding
- Vulnerability assessment methodology
- Operational planning experience
- Incident management understanding
- Training and development experience
The objective is simple:
To help organisations understand vulnerabilities, improve preparedness and strengthen resilience before an incident occurs.
Book A Free Consultation
If your organisation would like to discuss Martyn's Law preparedness, vulnerability assessments or protective security considerations, King's Tree Security Consultancy offers a complimentary 30-minute consultation.
The discussion is confidential, professional and entirely without obligation.
Preparedness begins with understanding your vulnerabilities. The first step is often a conversation.
Book a free consultation