Policy paper

Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill: Standard duty requirements factsheet

Published 12 September 2024

This factsheet explains the requirements for persons responsible for standard duty premises under the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill. Further information on which premises may be subject to standard duty requirements can be found in the scope (premises) factsheet. Standard duty premises are also referred to as the ‘standard tier’.

The requirements aim to ensure that those responsible for standard duty premises are better prepared to respond to a terrorist attack so that people working on the premises can take action that might save lives and reduce harm. The standard tier requirements are:

1. Notification

The responsible person for standard duty premises will be required to notify the Security Industry Authority (SIA) when they become responsible for that premises. They must also notify the SIA when they cease to be responsible.

Regulations will set out the required time period for notifying the SIA, and what information must be provided about the responsible person and the premises.

2. Public protection procedures

The responsible person for standard duty premises will be required to ensure that, so far as is reasonably practicable, appropriate public protection procedures are in place at the premises.

Public protection procedures are procedures of a type set out in the bill that may be expected to reduce the risk of physical harm to individuals in the event that an act of terrorism occurs at the premises or in the immediate vicinity. They are procedures to be followed by people working at the premises where they suspect an act of terrorism is occurring, or is about to occur, at the premises or in the immediate vicinity.

The four types of procedures that must be put in place, as appropriate and reasonably practicable, are:  

Evacuation	The process of getting people safely out of the premises
Invacuation	The process of bringing people safely into, or to safe parts within, the premises.
Lockdown	The process of securing the premises to ensure that the entry of any attacker is restricted or prevented e.g. locking doors, closing shutters or using barriers.
Communication	The process of alerting people on the premises to move them away from any danger.

When considering the procedures in place, the responsible person will need 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 bill does not require physical alterations or the purchase of equipment at standard duty premises.

The requirement has been designed with the intention of being simple for the responsible person to follow and the government will provide guidance to 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 on the premises understood how to follow it.

Types of acts of terrorism

To develop effective public protection procedures, the responsible person for standard duty premises will need to consider the different types of terrorist attack that could take place at their location and how the procedures in place reduce the risk of harm caused by such attacks.  

The government will provide comprehensive guidance to understand relevant types of terrorist attack methodologies.

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 will differ at a shop that can reasonably expect to have no more than 200 people on the premises at any one time from a restaurant that can seat 400 people. Procedures should be tailored to the specific circumstances of the premises. For example:

A 200-capacity shop may assess that it is appropriate and reasonably practicable to put in place the following public protection procedures:

• Evacuation - there will be one route through the main entrance that leads into the car park at the front of the shop and another through the back door that leads into an exterior area.

• Invacuation - bring individuals into the main floor of the shop and into the back storage room, that has secure windows and a modern lock that is routinely checked.

• Lockdown - a sophisticated process would not be required. As such, it is sufficient for a nominated person to simply use the lock on the front door in the event of an attack occurring outside.

• Communication - met by setting out the above procedures in a one-page summary and circulating with relevant individuals that work at the shop.

• Supporting activities - a poster summarising the procedures is placed in a private staff area of the shop and a landline is present.

• The procedures are reviewed annually.

A 400-seater restaurant may assess that it is appropriate and reasonably practicable to put in place the following procedures:

• Evacuation - There will be one route via through the main entrance that leads onto public pavement and another through a side door that leads into an alley.

• Invacuation - bring individuals into the main restaurant area and, if needed, into a variety of staff areas.

• Lockdown - nominated individuals knowing when (i.e. when their shift manager instructs them to) and how to quickly lock and barricade doors, close window shutters and turn off lights.

• Communication – met by ensuring staff know who will enact procedures (shift manager) and planning how to communicate with customers present at the restaurant, were an attack to occur.

• Supporting activity - new members of staff are provided a short awareness briefing on the restaurant’s procedures at induction (alongside health and fire safety inputs).

• The procedures are reviewed annually.

Effective procedures

The procedures will need to be effectively communicated to all those needed to deliver an effective response to a suspected incident. This may include employees, volunteers and contractors as well as those hiring premises.  How people are made aware of the public protection procedures will depend on the particular circumstances of the premises (including the nature of their use and types of people working there) and the responsible person’s resources. For example, the responsible person may require relevant employees to attend instructional training.