For the wider legal picture, see Martyn's Law explained.
Is Martyn's Law training mandatory?
The Act requires reasonably practicable procedures, and staff awareness is central to making them work. There is no single mandatory "Martyn's Law certificate". The practical expectation is that anyone who may need to act in your procedures understands what is expected of them, and that you can show it. Check the latest statutory guidance and SIA publications for any further detail.
Who needs training?
Anyone expected to play a part, whether employee, agency worker or volunteer. The test is not how someone is employed but whether they may need to act during an incident. That includes front-of-house staff, stewards, security, reception, duty managers, caretakers, and seasonal or casual staff. In schools, include supply and support staff (schools guide).
What should training cover?
- Awareness: recognising unusual behaviour and how to report concerns.
- Your procedures: evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication, and each person's role.
- Communication: how information reaches staff and visitors.
- Practice: drills and tabletop exercises, with a debrief afterwards.
Martyn's Law eLearning and courses
Free starting point: the ACT Awareness eLearning course on ProtectUK needs no specialist knowledge and builds basic understanding of suspicious activity and emergency actions. ACT Security eLearning offers further training for security-responsible roles. Both are free through ProtectUK.
Paid courses: commercial providers offer Martyn's Law courses and consultancy. When comparing them, check that content reflects the current statutory guidance, that you can track completions, and that it can be tailored to your venue. Keep in mind that the SIA is expected to publish more detail, so review content as guidance develops.
Your own site briefings: generic eLearning cannot tell staff where your muster points are or who makes the call to lock down. Combine national courses with site-specific briefings.
Build a simple training plan
- List every role that has a part in your procedures.
- Give all staff the free ACT Awareness course.
- Add site-specific briefings to induction for new, casual and agency staff.
- Schedule short refreshers rather than one long annual session.
- Run tabletop exercises and record the lessons.
- Track everything so you can show completion.
That last step is where many organisations struggle, because training records sit in different systems. Parim helps operational teams track training and qualifications in one place (CTA). For how training fits into the full process, see how to comply with Martyn's Law, and for event teams see venues, stadiums and events.
