No software makes you compliant. The right software makes compliance provable.
Plenty of vendors will sell you Martyn's Law in a box. The Act does not work that way. Here is what software can genuinely carry, and what stays with your people.
In one line
Martyn's Law compliance comes from procedures, people and documented protective measures. Software earns its place by doing three jobs those depend on: watching your cameras, alerting your team in seconds, and building the evidence record your SIA documentation needs.
01 · The three jobs
What should Martyn's Law software actually do?
Strip away the sales language and the software's contribution to Martyn's Law comes down to three verbs.
01Watch
A venue cannot respond to what nobody has seen. Active monitoring means every connected camera is being watched all the time, by detection layers that recognise the behaviours that precede incidents: a person in a restricted area, a crowd building against an exit, prolonged loitering at an entrance.
02Alert
Detection without response is a recording with extra steps. The alert has to reach the person who can act, in seconds, with the camera, the location and a clip, so the response starts while the situation is still developing.
03Record
Enhanced tier venues must document their protective measures and show they work. A system that logs every detection, every alert and every response builds that evidence as a by-product of operating. When the SIA, your insurer or a licensing committee asks what your venue did, you answer with a record, not a recollection.
Everything else on the market, the checklists, the document vaults, the training registers, has value, but it manages the paperwork of compliance. These three jobs change what happens on the floor.
02 · Choosing
How do you choose without getting burned?
- Make it prove itself on your cameras, in your light, on your busiest night. A demo reel from someone else's venue tells you nothing about yours.
- Ask what happens to your existing estate. The right answer is nothing: a software overlay should connect to the cameras you own, not replace them.
- Ask where the data lives and whether faces are involved. UK hosting and no facial recognition keep you on the right side of your GDPR position.
- Ask to see the evidence trail, not just the alert. The log is what your SIA documentation, your insurer and your licence hearings will actually use.
- Walk away from anyone who promises compliance itself. The Act asks for outcomes no subscription can deliver alone.
Archangel is built to pass exactly this test: live on your existing cameras in under 48 hours, two months free with success measures agreed on day one, no facial recognition, UK built and UK hosted. Judge it on your own floor.
03 · Questions
Compliance software: common questions
Is there software that makes a venue Martyn's Law compliant?
No, and be wary of anyone who says otherwise. Compliance under the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 comes from procedures your staff can run, protective measures that genuinely reduce risk, and documentation that shows both. Software supports those things. It cannot substitute for them.
What should Martyn's Law software actually do?
Three jobs. Watch: turn your cameras into active monitoring so a developing incident gets noticed in time to act. Alert: get the right person moving in seconds, with the camera, the location and a clip. Record: log every detection and response so your documentation for the SIA is built by the system as you operate, not assembled in a panic before an inspection.
Do I need to replace my CCTV to add monitoring software?
No. Software overlays like Archangel connect to existing IP cameras through RTSP or ONVIF. If your current cameras can feed a screen, they can feed a detection layer. A venue can typically be live in under 48 hours without touching the physical estate.
Which venues need this most?
Enhanced tier premises and events, where 800 or more people can reasonably be expected. These venues must document proportionate protective measures across monitoring, movement, physical security and information security, and submit them to the SIA. Active monitoring with an evidence trail speaks directly to the first category. Standard tier venues are not required to buy anything, though many still want their cameras watched on busy nights.
What does Archangel not do?
It does not write your risk assessment, train your staff, run your drills or give legal advice. It watches your cameras, alerts your team and keeps the record. The rest of compliance belongs to people, and any vendor claiming to sell the whole job in a subscription is overreaching.