The Showstop Procedure supports organisations in meeting their obligations under the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 (Martyn’s Law) by enabling effective, real-time intervention during safety-critical situations.
Martyn’s Law requires duty holders to ensure that “public protection procedures are in place, so far as is reasonably practicable, for the purpose of reducing the risk of physical harm to individuals if an act of terrorism were to occur on the premises or in the immediate vicinity.”
These procedures include:
They must be “followed by relevant workers in the event of an act of terrorism occurring.”
The statutory framework requires not only that procedures exist, but that organisations are capable of implementing them effectively.
This includes ensuring that:
The Showstop Procedure supports these requirements by providing a clear, structured method for recognising risk, escalating concerns, and initiating intervention without delay.
While the Act defines what must be achieved, it does not prescribe how real-time decisions should be made during a developing incident.
The Showstop Procedure provides:
This enables organisations to translate planning into timely and effective action to reduce harm.
Effective communication is a core component of public protection procedures.
The Showstop Procedure ensures:
Martyn’s Law requires duty holders to take “reasonably practicable measures” to reduce risk and harm.
The Showstop Procedure represents a proportionate and practical measure by:
The Showstop Procedure does not replace statutory requirements.
It provides a supporting operational framework that enhances an organisation’s ability to implement public protection procedures effectively and take timely action to protect life during an incident.
| Statutory Requirement | Source Wording | Showstop Alignment |
|---|---|---|
| Public protection procedures | "Procedures... for the purpose of reducing the risk of physical harm.." | Provides operational trigger to initiate those procedures |
| Use during incident | "To be followed... in the event of an act of terrorism.." | Enables real-time decision to activate procedures |
| Reasonably practicable measures | "So far as is reasonably practicable" | Showstop = proportionate, low-cost intervention capability |
| Statutory Requirement | Source Wording | Showstop Alignment |
|---|---|---|
| Staff instruction & training | "Relevant workers are provided with appropriate instruction and training" | Defines roles, responsibilities, and required competence |
| Preparedness | Staff must understand actions during an incident | Provides clear escalation and decision framework |
| Statutory Requirement | Source Wording | Showstop Alignment |
|---|---|---|
| Communication with individuals | Requirement to communicat luring an incident | Structured communication pathways and messaging triggers |
| Internal communication | Implied through implementation requirements | Clear escalation routes and decision communication |
| Statutory Requirement | Source Wording | Showstop Alignment |
|---|---|---|
| Ability to act during incident | "To be followed... in the event..." | Provides real-time decision-making framework |
| Reduce harm | "Reducing the risk of physical harm" | Enables early intervention to prevent escalation |
