Martyn's Law applies to your restaurant if it seats 200 or more. Here is what that means in practice.
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 received Royal Assent in April 2025. Restaurants and dining venues with a qualifying capacity are in scope. Enforcement begins April 2027.
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01 / Which Tier
Most large restaurants fall into the Standard Tier. Some qualify for Enhanced.
The Act divides in-scope venues into two tiers based on qualifying capacity. For restaurants, qualifying capacity is assessed based on the maximum number of people the premises can accommodate at one time, including staff and kitchen personnel.
A restaurant with a total capacity of 200 to 799 falls into the Standard Tier. This includes the majority of mid-to-large casual dining venues, hotel restaurants and large food halls. Standard Tier venues must put documented procedures in place: evacuation plans, lockdown protocols and staff training.
Restaurants with a qualifying capacity of 800 or above fall into the Enhanced Tier. This typically applies to large banqueting halls, hotel grand dining rooms, flagship restaurant groups operating at scale and major food and drink venues within arenas or stadia. Enhanced Tier venues must go further: physical protective measures, a designated responsible person, documented vulnerability assessments and the ability to demonstrate proportionate safety controls to the Security Industry Authority.
- Documented evacuation and lockdown procedures
- Staff terrorism awareness training
- Communication protocols for an attack scenario
- Registration with the Security Industry Authority
- All Standard Tier obligations
- Documented vulnerability assessment
- Designated responsible person appointed
- Physical protective measures in place
- Active monitoring demonstrable to the SIA
02 / What Measures
What does a restaurant need to put in place?
For Standard Tier restaurants, the obligations are primarily procedural. That means written evacuation plans specific to your premises layout, documented lockdown procedures, and staff who understand what to do and who to contact. You will need to register with the Security Industry Authority and be prepared to demonstrate that your procedures are current and tested.
For Enhanced Tier restaurants, the requirement moves beyond procedures into physical protective measures. The Act uses the phrase "reasonably practicable physical measures." In practice, that means active monitoring: not just cameras that record, but systems that detect and alert.
Restaurants in the Enhanced Tier often already have CCTV covering dining rooms, entrances, back-of-house corridors and service areas. The question is whether those cameras are passive record-keepers or active detection systems. Passive recording documents what happened. Active detection creates the possibility of preventing it.
CCTV recording alone is not enough for Enhanced Tier.
Passive CCTV documents incidents after the fact. The SIA will look for evidence that your monitoring is active: that your system detects anomalies and alerts staff in time to respond.
AI behaviour detection on your existing cameras is what proportionate looks like.
Archangel runs on your existing IP camera network. No replacement hardware. Detection covers loitering in entry areas, unusual crowd gathering, tailgating through staff entrances and aggression incidents before they escalate.
The detection log is your evidence.
Every alert, every confirmed detection and every operator response is logged automatically. That log is your documented evidence of active monitoring when the SIA conducts its assessment.
03 / How AI Behaviour Detection Helps
What Archangel detects in a restaurant environment.
Restaurants have specific threat scenarios that differ from arenas or nightclubs. The relevant detection patterns reflect that.
Loitering near entrances or service points
Extended loitering in public-facing entry areas or near kitchen and back-of-house access points is one of the clearest early indicators of a pre-attack reconnaissance pattern.
Tailgating through staff-only access
Restaurants often have controlled staff corridors and kitchen areas. Detection flags individuals following staff through restricted doorways without authorisation.
Unattended items in public areas
Bags or items left unattended in dining areas or near entrances are flagged immediately, giving staff time to assess and respond before the area is affected.
Aggression between customers
Physical altercations or threatening behaviour in a dining environment puts other guests at risk. Early detection gives front-of-house staff the information they need to act fast.
Crowd anomaly detection
Unusual gathering patterns in a space that is normally free-flowing, such as a dining room, can indicate an emerging incident. Detection creates an early warning window.
Documented alert log
Every detection event is logged with time, location and operator response. That documentation is the evidence the SIA looks for when assessing compliance for Enhanced Tier venues.
For the full guide to Martyn's Law, including detailed information on both tiers and the implementation timeline, visit our main guide.
Read the full Martyn's Law guideFind out what Martyn's Law means for your restaurant.
Book a discovery call. We will assess your venue capacity, your existing camera infrastructure, and what active AI monitoring looks like for your environment. Two months free means you can start before enforcement begins.
Two months free. No hardware. No commitment beyond the conversation.