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What Is the Protect Duty Legislation?
Protect duty is a proposed legislation that will place more responsibility on the owners of publicly accessible locations for the security and protection from terrorist incidents. According to the government, a publicly accessible location is a place to which the public or any section of the public has access, on payment or otherwise, as of right or by virtue of express or implied permission.
The protect duty legislation promotes the idea that there are more security measures and good practices which can be put into place that will significantly impact the public’s protection against terror attacks, as well as the overall response. It will focus on providing the proper educational and training materials so that more measures can be put in place to promote safety when it comes to terror attacks.
Who Will Protect Duty Effect?
As terror attacks on public spaces increase, it is important to recognise that any publicly accessible location could be a potential target in the future. While it will have an effect on anyone attending an event or in a public space, the protect duty law will focus on the following individuals and organisations:
- Event Organisers
- Public Space Owners
- Operators in public spaces
- Venue owners
- Employers
So, when will the Protect Duty become law?
The Government has said it will continue to engage with a range of stakeholders and other government departments, as well as use the consultation feedback to further develop the legislation, which will be introduced to Parliament ‘at the earliest opportunity’. It is understood there will be an awareness period between the bill being passed and full implementation to allow those impacted to be educated in the requirements and to provide time to introduce the corresponding measures. However, the consultation process has already indicated some of the intended requirements, for example, comprehensively risk assessing terrorism, which organisations can start to explore and get ahead of today.
What Security Measures Are Affected by Protect Duty?
Multiple facets of venues and organisations will be considered when the protect duty legislation is being applied. This includes:
- Risk assessments
- Evacuation procedures and routes
- Staff training
- Encouraging a culture of security
- Assessing vulnerabilities of your site
- Considering different types of attacks
- Improving communication routes
- Environmental factors (inside of building/outside)
- Awareness of suspicious behaviour
Examining these measures in a more thorough and specific way, on a case-by-case basis, is going to help improve the security of public spaces overall. This will hopefully lead to a reduced amount of terrorist attacks being carried out in these spaces, and in the unfortunate event that an attack is successful, responses will be more efficient.
Which businesses need to comply to the Protect Duty?
The consultation proposes any venue capable of holding gatherings of 100 people or more should fall within the Protect Duty. It is also expected to apply to all large organisations employing 250 people or more, operating at publicly accessible locations. exi are committed to working closely with our clients to ensure that they are equipped to meet all applicable legislation.
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