Some requirements in the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 apply to all qualifying premises and events. Those core requirements are the only requirements that apply to standard duty premises, which are also referred to as the “standard tier”.
The standard tier is for premises that host between 200 and 799 people at the same time.
When the requirements come into force, the person responsible for standard duty premises will have to:
- notify the Security Industry Authority (SIA) of their premises; and
- have in place, so far as reasonably practicable, appropriate public protection procedures.
These public protection procedures are those which should be followed by people working at the premises if an act of terrorism were to occur at the premises, or in the immediate vicinity. They are procedures which may be expected to reduce the risk of physical harm being caused to individuals and relate to evacuation, invacuation (moving people to a safe place), locking down the premises, and communicating with individuals on the premises.
The requirements for standard tier premises are centred around simple, low-cost activities with costs relating primarily to time spent. There is no requirement to put in place physical measures.
Public protection procedures
The responsible person for standard duty tier premises will be required to ensure that, so far as is reasonably practicable, appropriate public protection procedures are in place at the premises.
These public protection procedures are those which should be followed by people working at the premises if an act of terrorism were to occur at the premises, or in the immediate vicinity. They are procedures which may be expected to reduce the risk of physical harm being caused to individuals and relate to evacuation, invacuation (moving people to a safe place), locking down the premises, and communicating with individuals on the premises.
The requirements for standard duty tier premises are centred around simple, low-cost activities with costs relating primarily to time spent. There is no requirement to put in place physical measures.
The four types of procedures that must be put in place, as appropriate and so far as is reasonably practicable, are:
- Evacuation: the process of getting people safely out of the premises
- Invacuation: The process of bringing people safely into, or to safer parts of, the premises
- Lockdown: the process of securing the premises to prevent individuals entering or leaving the premises, e.g. to restrict or prevent entry by an attacker by locking doors, closing shutters or using available barriers
- Communication: the process of alerting people on the premises to the danger, e.g. providing instructions to remain in place or move away from any danger.
When considering the procedures in place, the responsible person needs to consider what is appropriate and reasonably practicable for their premises. This will involve consideration of the nature of the premises and resources available. The Act does not require physical alterations or the purchase of equipment for the purpose of having these procedures in place.
The requirement has been designed with the intention of being simple for the responsible person to follow and guidance will support the consideration of reasonably practicable public protection procedures.
As part of ensuring that public protection procedures are in place, people working at the premises must be made aware of the procedures so that they can be ready to put them into practice. For example, it would not be sufficient to have an evacuation procedure in place if no one working at the premises understood how to follow it.
Reasonably practicable
Reasonably practicable is a concept found in other regimes, such as Fire Safety and Health and Safety. In determining what is reasonably practicable, the responsible person will need to take into account their particular circumstances, including the nature of the premises and the resources available to them. The particular procedures put in place at one location may not be appropriate and reasonably practicable at another. For example, procedures at a shop that can reasonably expect to have no more than 200 people on the premises from time to time will differ from those at a restaurant that can seat 400 people. Procedures should be tailored to the specific circumstances of the premises.
For more detailed information on standard duty tier requirements please refer to the following factsheet: Terrorism (protection of premises) Act 2025: Standard duty requirements factsheet - GOV.UK