Venues must protect public from terror attacks under Priti Patel proposals

Priti Patel will publish proposals on Monday for a new legal duty for venues to provide adequate security for the public in the wake of the Manchester Arena suicide bombing.

The Government’s proposals, including a law that would require some public places to be prepared for a terrorist attack, follow a campaign by victims’ groups.

These included the Martyn’s Law campaign, which was launched by Figen Murray following the death of her son, Martyn, in the Manchester Arena attack in 2017 which killed 23 people, including the bomber, and injured 1,017, many of them children, after an Ariana Grande concert.

Ms Patel, the Home Secretary, said: “My number one priority is keeping the people of the UK safe. Following the tragic attack at the Manchester Arena, we have worked closely with Figen Murray, victims’ groups and partners to develop proposals to improve protective security around the country.

“I am grateful for their tireless commitment and those who responded to the consultation; the majority of whom agreed tougher measures are needed to protect the public from harm.

“We will never allow terrorists to restrict our freedoms and way of life, which is why we are committed to bringing forward legislation this year that will strike the right balance between public safety, whilst not placing excessive burden on small businesses.”

There is currently no legislative requirement for organisations or venues to consider or employ security measures at the vast majority of public places.

Ministers have pledged to introduce Protect Duty legislation at the earliest opportunity, along with a new online platform providing advice on counter-terrorism this year.

The consultation over the proposals sought views from private and public sector partners on a requirement for certain publicly accessible locations to implement security measures, and what support would be required from the Government.

More than 2,700 responses were received from a variety of organisations, sectors and campaigners, with the majority supporting the proposals to introduce stronger measures to ensure public safety.

Seven in 10 respondents agreed that those responsible for publicly accessible locations should take appropriate measures to protect the public from attacks. This included ensuring staff were trained to respond appropriately.

The response of Greater Manchester Police and other emergency services on the night of the Arena bombing has been severely criticised by victims’ families.

The public inquiry into the atrocity heard that key staff had received no training on how to deal with a terror attack or major incident.

There was a “total failure” to set up a rendezvous point at the scene for commanders of all the emergency services until it was too late, which meant firefighters took more than two hours to arrive, Sir John Saunders, the inquiry chairman, was told last month.