Home Affairs Committee “naïve and out of touch” on risks posed by terrorism

Martyn’s Law, of course, is named in tribute to Martyn Hett, who was killed at the age of 29 alongside 21 other people in the Manchester Arena terrorist bombing that took place back in 2017. Martyn’s mother Figen Murray has since dedicated her life to helping to prevent any further terrorist attacks, with the tremendous work transacted leading to Murray receiving an OBE last year.

As previously reported by Security Matters, the Home Affairs Select Committee has called on the Government to amend the proposed safety measures outlined in the draft Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill and base them on risk as opposed to the size of a venue.

Committee members have suggested that, if ratified, the document in its current form would “place a significant and disproportionate burden on smaller venues, while failing to ensure adequate safety measures at all public events at risk of terror attacks”.

In response, Lloyd Major told Security Matters: “Figen Murray is absolutely correct in her assessment [of the Martyn’s Law legislation]. The Government must proceed with strong and robust legislation. Any weakening or reduction of the proposed measures in the draft Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill would potentially put the public at even greater risk of another terror attack as the terrorists would merely switch their tactics to focus on softer targets.”

Major continued: “Protecting the public from terror attacks has to be more of a priority. It’s vital that all public venues and premises have counter-terrorism measures and training in place to safeguard staff and members of the public. Any weakening of the proposed measures in the draft legislation would be counterproductive to the very foundations upon which Martyn’s Law is built. Time and time again, we hear the phrase: ‘Lessons will be learned’ after an incident has occurred. The reality is that lessons are rarely learned and the same tragic mistakes are then repeated.”

Arbitrary figures

The Home Affairs Select Committee of MPs’ report outlines a belief that the draft anti-terror legislation could be “punitive and place small businesses and voluntary organisations at risk of closure if they don’t comply and would fail to make a difference to public safety”. Dame Diana Johnson MP, chair of the Home Affairs Committee, has noted: “The Government must ensure that the steps it needs to take are based on an accurate assessment of risk and not arbitrary capacity figures [at public venues].”

On that last point, Major responded: “Terrorism does not discriminate against a small pub or a large stadium venue. Across the years, we’ve witnessed a dynamic range of attacks. from the Soho pub bombings and Borough Market attack in central London through to the Manchester Arena episode and more. It’s our collective responsibility to be more vigilant, prepared and aware of terrorism and the threat it poses. All business owners and the management teams at live music venues, bars, pubs and restaurants need to work together on a collective basis to protect the public and members of staff against terrorism. We do this for the purposes of Health and Safety. The focus in terms of security is no different and certainly no more onerous or costly.”

Martyn’s Law will require both public and private sector businesses to ensure they have sufficient and robust security measures in place to uphold the Protect Duty strand of the Government’s recently revised CONTEST counter-terrorism strategy and elevate public safety. This means that thousands of pubs, restaurants, live music venues, arenas, stadiums, Shopping Centres and entertainment complexes will be required to take ownership of much greater responsibility when it comes to protecting and safeguarding members of the public in the face of possible terrorist attacks.

Following the conclusion of the £32 million Manchester Arena Public Inquiry, many of the 22 families whose loved ones were killed or seriously injured (either physically or mentally) slammed the report’s findings and “excuses”, duly calling upon the Government and the police service to act swiftly such that lessons would be duly learned.

Shifting the emphasis

Lloyd Major went on to state: “Have MPs not understood the severity of incidents such as the Manchester Arena bombing and the countless other foiled terror attacks? It’s naïve to think that the proposed measures would fail to make a difference to public safety. You simply cannot compromise on public safety when you see the devastation caused by a terrorist incident. All businesses, no matter how small or large, have a moral Duty of Care to their staff and the public to protect them against danger and the threat of terrorism.”

Major boasts nearly 20 years of police training and command experience having developed his expertise at the College of Policing, the Emergency Planning College and Coventry University. Becoming the first operational planner in the UK to obtain a Master’s degree in Emergency Planning and Management, Major then developed a new process for multi-dimensional threat assessment.

Major’s policing career saw him become a member of the National Policing Events Gold Group and the Tactical Training and Equipment Working Group and also serve as an expert advisor to the National Police Chiefs Council on matters of officer safety and public order.

Major joined the national Counter Terrorism Policing Operations Centre in London back in 2016, at which point he began advising law enforcement and intelligence agency representatives around the world on terror threats, extremism, specialist training and resilience measures.

He left the police service in March 2019 to take up a position on the organising committee put together by the International Cricket Council for the men’s World Cup, whereupon he worked on security planning, counter-terrorism preparedness, crowd management and tournament safety.

Major’s passion for public safety and involvement in counter-terrorism fuelled a deep-rooted motivation to enhance safety technology and training in the events industry. He subsequently founded Halo Solutions in a bid to bring more resilience to events, venues and stadiums worldwide.

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