Martyn's Law and the Security Business Opportunity

Martyn's Law, formally the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025. It carries an implementation period of at least twenty-four months before it comes into force, so the practical effect will be felt from around spring 2027. The Act requires those responsible for qualifying premises and events to prepare for and reduce their vulnerability to a terrorist attack, with the Security Industry Authority appointed as the regulator.

For owners of security businesses, this is one of the clearest structural demand drivers the sector has seen in years. It is worth understanding both what it requires and what it means for the value of a well-positioned business.

What the Law Requires

The Act introduces duties on those responsible for qualifying premises and events to assess and reduce the risk of harm from terrorism, with the level of duty scaled to the size of the venue or event. In practical terms, it pushes a large number of public-facing organisations, from venues and visitor attractions to events and larger retail and hospitality sites, to think seriously about protective security, staff training, and physical and electronic measures that many had not formally considered before.

The detail will be set out as the regime is implemented and the Security Industry Authority establishes its regulatory role. The direction of travel, though, is settled: more premises will need to demonstrate that they have assessed their vulnerability and taken proportionate steps to reduce it.

Why It Is a Demand Driver for the Sector

That obligation translates into demand across several parts of the security industry: security assessments and consultancy, staff and public-facing training, manned guarding and door supervision at venues and events, and electronic upgrades such as surveillance, access control, and communication systems. These are the services that help a responsible person meet the new duty.

The scale of the regulated workforce that delivers this work is considerable. There were more than 500,000 active Security Industry Authority licences in issue in early 2025, held by around 459,000 individuals, and the largest single category by some distance is door supervision, at roughly 354,580 active licences. That weighting towards manned and event security is precisely the part of the workforce that venue and event protection draws on. A law that increases demand for protective security at public premises lands directly on businesses that supply guarding, door supervision, training, and electronic measures.

What It Means for Business Value

A dependable pipeline of demand makes well-positioned guarding, training, and electronic security businesses more attractive to acquirers. The sector is already an active buyer market: in 2025, 70% of UK fire and security transactions involved private-equity-backed buyers, up from 57% the year before, and buy-and-build platforms are consolidating owner-managed businesses. A structural tailwind such as Martyn's Law is exactly the kind of forward-looking story a sophisticated buyer factors into the value of a business, on top of its current earnings.

The honest caveat is that this is a demand driver, not a guarantee of value for any particular business. A buyer pays for genuine, demonstrable positioning, not for a general claim that a market is growing.

How to Position for It Before a Sale

If your business is placed to benefit, the preparation before a sale should make that positioning clear and evidenced: the relevant capability, whether that is venue and event guarding, security consultancy, training delivery, or electronic upgrade work; any SIA Approved Contractor status and relevant accreditations; the recurring and contracted nature of the work; and a diverse client base rather than dependence on one or two venues. There is more on getting ready in our note on preparing your security business for sale.

If you run a guarding, training, or electronic security business and want to understand how the demand picture and your own positioning affect your value to a buyer, that is a sensible conversation to have, in confidence and with no obligation.