Martyn’s Law in Places of Worship

Under the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act, places of worship where 200 or more people may be present fall within scope and must implement reasonably practicable public protection measures. All places of worship remain within the Standard Tier, even where more than 800 people may gather. This reflects the government’s recognition that places of worship are open, community-focused spaces, often managed by volunteers rather than professional staff, and frequently operating with limited budgets.

What’s Required

Places of worship must have clear procedures for evacuation, invacuation, lockdown, and communication — designed for terrorism-related scenarios, not just fire or general emergencies. Existing plans should be reviewed to ensure they meet the expectations of a terrorism-aware regime. Duty holders may need to show how they determined what is reasonably practicable, balancing risk, resources, and cost or effort to demonstrate that their chosen measures are proportionate and defensible.

Accountability and Oversight

Responsible persons must be able to demonstrate their decision-making — how risks were identified, mitigations prioritised, and volunteers or staff trained.

For multi-site faith organisations, maintaining consistency across multiple locations will be essential. Demonstrating proportionate compliance will increasingly be recognised as a mark of sound governance and stewardship.

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Our Solution for Places of Worship

Prova Risk simplifies compliance for faith-based organisations of any size. The platform guides users through the Reasonably Practicable Test, helping create tailored terrorism-specific response plans for each site.

It securely captures all training, drills, and assessments, automatically generating the evidence required to demonstrate compliance under Martyn’s Law.

For organisations managing multiple sites, Prova Risk provides a single dashboard for oversight and consistency across the estate. The platform is dynamic, adapting as threats evolve and legislation changes — keeping your organisation safe, compliant, and audit-ready without unnecessary administrative burden or consultant costs.

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Key Benefits for Places of Worship

Simple compliance: guided process for non-specialists and volunteers

Tailored plans: terrorism-specific evacuation, invacuation, and lockdown procedures

Defensible evidence: automatic audit trail of training, drills, and decisions

Efficient oversight: manage one or many sites from a single platform

Dynamic updates: automatically adapts to new threats and legislative changes

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