Event Security Planning: A Practical Guide for UK Organisers

Event security has become a bigger planning consideration for UK organisers, not just because of rising public expectations around safety, but because of new legal obligations coming into force under Martyn’s Law. Whether you’re running a community fair or a stadium concert, getting the fundamentals right protects attendees and keeps you compliant.

What Martyn’s Law means for your event

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, known as Martyn’s Law, introduces a tiered set of legal duties for venues and events based on expected attendance. The standard tier applies to premises and events with 200 to 799 people, requiring basic security measures, staff training and notification to the Security Industry Authority (SIA). The enhanced tier applies to events with 800 or more attendees, requiring a formal risk assessment, a documented security plan, and a named senior individual responsible for compliance.

The law was named after Martyn Hett, a victim of the 2017 Manchester Arena attack, and is being phased in with an implementation period to give organisers time to prepare. If your event or venue could fall into either tier, it’s worth starting your planning now rather than waiting for enforcement.

Risk assessment: the starting point

Every event, regardless of size, benefits from a structured risk assessment covering:

• Expected attendance and how it might be exceeded
• Venue layout, entry and exit points, and evacuation routes
• Alcohol service and its impact on crowd behaviour
• Weather, terrain and any site-specific hazards
• Local crime patterns and any known threats to the event or attendees

This assessment shapes everything that follows — how many staff you need, what training they require, and what physical security measures (bag searches, CCTV, vehicle access controls) are proportionate.

Door supervision and access control

Controlled entry is the foundation of event security. Trained door supervisors manage ticket or ID checks, prevent overcrowding, and are often the first to spot a developing issue before it escalates inside the venue. For licensed venues, SIA Door Supervisor licensing is a legal requirement, not an optional extra.

CCTV and monitoring on the day

CCTV and remote monitoring gives event organisers real-time visibility across a site that stewards on the ground can’t fully cover alone, particularly useful for spotting crowd density building up in one area before it becomes a safety issue.

Building your event security team

Larger events typically need a mix of roles: door supervisors at entry points, static officers covering key areas, and a visible response team able to move quickly if an incident develops. We cover the specifics of crowd management and door supervision in more depth in our companion post, Crowd Management and Door Supervision: What Every Event Needs.

Plan early, not last minute

Security planning works best when it’s built into the event from the start, not bolted on a week before doors open. Early planning gives time to book SIA-licensed staff, arrange CCTV coverage, and document the risk assessment and security plan that Martyn’s Law increasingly requires.

Get expert support for your event

Alpha Europe Security provides SIA-licensed event and venue security, door supervisors and CCTV and remote monitoring for events across the UK. Contact us to plan security for your next event.