Carlisle Support Services launches counter-terror award in honour of Martyn Hett

Tragically, Martyn was one of 22 people killed in the Manchester Arena terrorist bombing at the end of an Ariana Grande concert that took place on 22 May 2017. Martyn’s mother, Figen Murray OBE, has been campaigning ever since to have Government legislation drafted and brought into law in his memory that ensures stronger protections against terrorism in publicly accessible locations and prevents other families from having to go through such a terrible experience.

The new legislation – entitled The Protect Duty/Martyn’s Law – is to be introduced across the whole of the UK and requires the management teams for publicly accessible locations in both the private and public sectors to undertake a range of activities according to location capacities.

In practice, Martyn’s Law will follow a tiered model linked to the type of activity taking place and the size of the expected audience. It will seek to improve venue preparation without placing any undue burden on businesses. A standard tier will apply to locations harbouring a maximum capacity upwards of 100 people, with an enhanced tier applying to locations capable of accommodating more than 800 individuals.

Simple measures such as making sure members of staff complete freely available terrorism awareness training and planning for incidents will be required for all. The requirements to identify and resolve vulnerabilities will exist for those locations grouped within the enhanced tier.

Contribution recognised

The new award bestowed by Carlisle Support Services has been instigated to recognise, in Martyn’s honour, those individuals that have truly contributed to counter-terrorism awareness.

Figen Murray presented the inaugural Martyn Hett Award for Contribution to Counter-Terrorism on Thursday 23 February. The winner is the Great Ormond Street Hospital for its Counter-Terrorism Training Initiative.

The Superstar Awards Ceremony, organised to recognise the achievements of individuals within the industry, was attended by over 250 employees and delegates representing reputable venues and institutions (among them Wimbledon’s All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, ACC Liverpool (soon to be hosting Eurovision), the Marylebone Cricket Club, Coventry University and Liverpool Football Club.

All delegates joined the annual Innovation Lab on the day along with innovators, thought leaders and expert speakers to discover and discuss tomorrow’s solutions for delivering exceptional facilities management.

Upon being invited to present the award herself, Figen Murray said: “I feel so humbled that I’ve been given the honour of presenting the award named after our son Martyn. Over the past few years, painful as they were and still are, I have had the privilege to meet so many incredible and outstanding human beings who have the safety and security of others at the forefront of their minds. It therefore gives me absolute pleasure to present the Martyn Hett Award for Contribution to Counter-Terrorism to a very worthy winner.”

Tireless effort

Having worked very closely with Figen Murray to implement Martyn’s Law and minimise terrorism acts across the UK, Nick Aldworth (retired detective chief superintendent at Counter-Terrorism Policing and now director for counter-terrorism at Carlisle Support Services) added: “Figen experienced something that no parent should ever have to experience and has worked tirelessly to turn such a tragic and senseless act into something good. We are honoured to dedicate this award in Martyn’s memory and contribute towards preventing such events from ever occurring again. Martyn would be incredibly proud of his mother.”

Paul Evans, CEO at Carlisle Support Services, concluded: “As a security provider for some of the largest venues and public spaces across the UK, not only do we welcome the new legislation, but will reward those going above and beyond to uphold that law and keep members of the public safe.”

Carlisle Support Services is a leading supplier of value-added solutions to chosen niche markets. Employing circa 5,000 people, the business focuses on the provision of security, events and retail facilities support-focused services.

*Further information is available online at www.carlislesupportservices.com

**Watch the presentation ceremony for the Martyn Hett Award for Contribution to Counter-Terrorism on the Carlisle Support Services YouTube channel