New Chief Operating Officer joins the SIA, with Martyn's Law in her brief

The Security Industry Authority (SIA) has confirmed that Debbie Bartlett OBE joined as its Chief Operating Officer in April 2025. She moved across from the Home Office, where she worked on public safety policy and was responsible for delivering the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 — better known as Martyn's Law. She has 22 years of civil service experience across protective security, emergency service preparedness and risk management.

The SIA is the regulator named in the Act. The person now helping run its operations has already worked on the law itself, so the regulator has hands-on knowledge of how the new regime is meant to work. This is a sign that the bodies behind Martyn's Law are putting their teams in place ahead of the duties taking effect.

The duties under the Act are not yet in force. Commencement is expected in spring 2027, with the exact date still to be confirmed. The SIA's notification process is not live yet, so there is nothing venues need to file at this stage.

Nothing is required today. Use the time to familiarise yourself with the two tiers: the standard tier covers premises where 200 to 799 people may be expected at once, and the enhanced tier covers 800 or more, with staff included in the count. Working out which tier your venue is likely to fall into is a sensible first step in getting ready.