Counter Terrorism Training For Venues, Events And Public Premises

As the UK continues to strengthen public protection measures through the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, commonly known as Martyn’s Law, organisations across multiple sectors are increasingly exploring counter terrorism training and terrorism preparedness qualifications.

For many businesses and organisations, the focus is no longer solely on traditional health and safety risks. Publicly accessible premises and events are now being encouraged to consider wider protective security measures, emergency preparedness, and terrorism-related vulnerabilities.

This shift has led to growing searches for terms such as:

• counter terrorism training
• terrorism awareness training
• Martyn’s Law training
• venue security training
• protective security qualifications
• terrorism preparedness courses
• counter terrorism awareness for events
• terrorism risk assessment training

The challenge for many organisations is understanding what practical steps they should take and what level of preparedness may be appropriate for their premises or events.

Why Is Counter Terrorism Training Becoming More Important?

The introduction of Martyn’s Law has significantly increased awareness around terrorism preparedness responsibilities within publicly accessible environments.

The legislation is intended to improve public safety by encouraging organisations to:

• understand potential threats
• identify vulnerabilities
• improve emergency planning
• strengthen communication procedures
• implement proportionate protective measures
• develop a positive security culture

Importantly, the legislation is not aimed solely at specialist security professionals.

Instead, it affects a wide range of organisations responsible for public-facing premises and events, including:

• hospitality venues
• visitor attractions
• sports venues
• entertainment venues
• leisure facilities
• conference centres
• event organisers
• public buildings
• retail environments

As a result, many operational managers, facilities teams and health and safety professionals are now seeking practical counter terrorism awareness training to support preparedness planning.

What Is Counter Terrorism Awareness Training?

Counter terrorism awareness training focuses on helping organisations and individuals understand:

• the nature of modern terrorism threats
• common vulnerabilities within public premises
• suspicious behaviour and hostile threat awareness
• emergency preparedness
• protective security principles
• incident response considerations
• public protection procedures

The aim is not to turn organisations into specialist security operations teams.

Instead, the purpose is to improve awareness, preparedness and organisational resilience in a practical and proportionate way.

This is why many organisations are now incorporating terrorism preparedness into wider operational risk management and health and safety planning.

Which Organisations May Need Terrorism Preparedness Training?

Although the exact responsibilities under Martyn’s Law depend on occupancy levels and the type of premises involved, many organisations are already reviewing whether counter terrorism training may be beneficial.

This may include organisations responsible for:

• publicly accessible venues
• events and exhibitions
• hospitality environments
• sports and entertainment venues
• educational settings
• community facilities
• visitor attractions
• public-facing commercial premises

Even organisations that do not fall directly within enhanced duty requirements may still benefit from stronger terrorism awareness and preparedness arrangements.

The Link Between Martyn’s Law And Protective Security

One of the most important developments surrounding Martyn’s Law is the growing focus on protective security and public protection procedures.

Protective security may involve considering:

• access control
• crowd movement
• emergency communication
• evacuation arrangements
• threat awareness
• layered security measures
• incident coordination
• business continuity planning

For many organisations, these are now being viewed alongside traditional health and safety responsibilities rather than as completely separate disciplines.

This overlap is one reason why many health and safety professionals are now exploring terrorism awareness qualifications and protective security training.

NEBOSH Terrorism Qualifications Supporting Martyn’s Law Preparedness

To support organisations and professionals, NEBOSH has introduced two specialist qualifications focused on terrorism preparedness and public protection responsibilities.

These qualifications are designed specifically for organisations managing publicly accessible premises and events rather than specialist operational security personnel.

NEBOSH National Certificate In Protecting Standard Duty Premises From Terrorism

The course covers areas including:

• understanding terrorism threats
• recognising vulnerabilities
• public protection procedures
• emergency preparedness
• protective security awareness
• security culture development

The qualification is particularly suitable for:

• venue managers
• hospitality management
• facilities teams
• operational managers
• health and safety professionals
• public-facing organisations

It is highly relevant for searches such as:

• Martyn’s Law standard duty training
• counter terrorism awareness training
• terrorism preparedness course
• venue security training
• terrorism awareness qualification

NEBOSH National Certificate In Protecting Enhanced Duty Premises And Events From Terrorism

In addition to the shared core content, the course also covers:

• public protection measures
• documenting compliance
• layered protective security
• business continuity and recovery
• enhanced preparedness planning
• terrorism-related risk considerations for larger venues and events

This qualification is particularly relevant for:

• large venues
• arenas and stadiums
• major public events
• event organisers
• large visitor attractions
• compliance and operations teams

It is also highly relevant for searches such as:

• enhanced duty terrorism training
• event security qualification
• terrorism compliance training
• protective security qualification
• counter terrorism training for events

Why Health And Safety Professionals Are Becoming Increasingly Involved

Traditionally, terrorism preparedness may have been viewed as primarily a security issue.

However, Martyn’s Law has highlighted significant overlaps between terrorism preparedness and existing health and safety management principles.

Many familiar concepts apply, including:

• risk assessment
• reasonably practicable controls
• emergency planning
• communication
• organisational competence
• continuous improvement
• coordination during incidents

This means health and safety professionals are increasingly supporting organisations with preparedness planning and protective security awareness.

As a result, terrorism awareness training is becoming relevant far beyond traditional security roles.

What Should Organisations Be Doing Now?

For organisations responsible for publicly accessible premises or events, now is an important time to begin reviewing preparedness arrangements.

This may include:

• reviewing occupancy thresholds
• assessing vulnerabilities
• improving emergency procedures
• increasing staff awareness
• reviewing public protection measures
• considering formal terrorism preparedness training
• strengthening incident response arrangements

The goal is not to create unnecessary fear or excessive controls, but to improve readiness and resilience in a practical and proportionate way.

Final Thoughts

Counter terrorism awareness and terrorism preparedness training are becoming increasingly important for organisations responsible for publicly accessible premises and events.

As Martyn’s Law continues to shape expectations around public protection and preparedness, organisations are looking for practical ways to improve awareness, strengthen procedures and support compliance responsibilities.

The:

• NEBOSH National Certificate In Protecting Standard Duty Premises From Terrorism
• NEBOSH National Certificate In Protecting Enhanced Duty Premises And Events From Terrorism

provide structured learning routes designed specifically to help organisations better understand terrorism-related risks, preparedness responsibilities and protective security considerations.

For many organisations, these qualifications represent an important step towards building a stronger culture of preparedness, resilience and public protection.