Lockdown Systems & Martyn's Law Compliance
BAFE-certified engineers with over three decades of combined experience. London and Kent. Updated September 2026
Key facts
- Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025
- Kentec Approved Installer
Professional Lockdown Systems & Martyn's Law Compliance in London and Kent
Effective lockdown systems play a vital role in protecting people and premises during serious security threats, including terrorism and other emergency situations. Our solutions are designed to support organisations in developing robust lockdown procedures, providing secure access control, rapid communication, and clearly defined emergency response measures. With the introduction of Martyn’s Law, organisations within scope will need to take proportionate steps to reduce the risk of terrorist attacks and minimise their impact. We can help businesses assess their current arrangements, identify vulnerabilities, and implement practical lockdown and security measures that support their legal responsibilities while maintaining a safe and secure environment for staff, visitors, and the public.
At a glance
- Martyn's Law received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025, named after Martyn Hett of the Manchester Arena attack
- Standard tier: 200-799 people. Enhanced tier: 800 or more
- Smartec is a Kentec approved installer for Wireless Lockdown Notification Systems
- Wireless, self-healing mesh network, integrating with existing access control and PA/VA
- 100% paperless digital certificates issued via the Smartec Client Portal
What is Martyn's Law?
Martyn’s Law, formally the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, requires certain public premises and events to prepare for and reduce harm from a terrorist attack. It applies across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Not yet in force
The Act received Royal Assent in April 2025, with a government commitment to at least 24 months’ implementation period before the substantive duties commence, placing the earliest realistic commencement around April 2027. Premises are not yet legally required to comply, but with the deadline approaching, preparing now is the sensible course. The Act is outcomes-focused and does not mandate specific equipment; a lockdown system is a practical, evidenced way to meet the communication requirement, not a legal obligation in itself.
What is Martyn's Law?
Standard tier
200-799 people
Basic, low-cost procedures: staff training, emergency plans, SIA registration. No requirement for physical security infrastructure.
Fire escape door release
BS 7273-4
All standard tier requirements, plus consideration of physical measures to reduce vulnerability and harm.
What is a lockdown system?
A lockdown notification system is a dedicated, standalone system, typically wireless, built specifically to give clear, unambiguous instructions during a threat, distinct from the building’s fire alarm so the two can never be confused. Manual call points are commonly blue, visually distinct from red fire call points and green emergency exits. The system broadcasts one message at a time from a small set of pre-recorded options, and signals to existing access control and PA/VA systems to trigger a response, without needing to rewire or replace them.
Lockdown
Secure in place, doors locked, stay out of sight
Invacuation
Move into a place of safety, such as from outdoor space into classrooms
Covert alert
Discreet notification to key staff without alerting a wider threat
All clear
Confirms it's safe to resume normal activity
The engineering challenge worth understanding
Fire safety logic and lockdown logic pull in opposite directions: a fire alarm must release doors for evacuation, while a lockdown must secure them for invacuation. Because a lockdown system is separate from the fire alarm rather than replacing it, this conflict is managed at the integration layer, with a clear, tested procedure for which instruction takes priority.
How Smartec does this
Smartec is a Kentec approved installer for Wireless Lockdown Notification Systems, built on Kentec’s self-healing K-Mesh technology and engineered to fire-safety-grade reliability standards. Our engineers begin with a full site survey, mapping buildings, entry points, high-risk zones and gathering areas, and agreeing the right activation method for the site, whether a central control panel, key fobs, a mobile app or hardwired call points. Every visit and test is logged in your Digital Logbook on the Smartec Client Portal.
What does installation involve?
1. Assessment and planning
- Full site survey of buildings, entry points, high-risk zones and gathering areas
- Activation method agreed: control panel, key fob, mobile app or hardwired call point
- Review of existing fire and security architecture, and wireless signal paths for the mesh network
2. System design and integration
- Activation points linked to fail-secure door groups on the access control system, and to the PA/VA system for voice messaging
- Zonal mapping, so alerts can be isolated to a zone or broadcast site-wide
- Redundancy built in: battery back-up, dual-path signalling and supervised network monitoring
3. Installation and commissioning
- Visual LED strobes and audible sounders installed to the required output level
- System configured using Kentec’s K-Mesh Configurator software
- Fail-secure electronic locking installed on relevant doors, consistent with fire escape requirements
4. Handover and testing
- Full diagnostic simulation, confirming activation correctly secures the designated doors and broadcasts the right message
- Staff training on activation, live voice override, system reset and the wider emergency protocol
What does installation involve?
Site survey to assess the building layout, escape routes and refuge point locations
System design, setting the number and position of outstations and the EACIE panel location
Installation of the panel, outstations and fire-resistant cabling
Commissioning, with a full system test and sign-off documentation
Handover, with certification and the system added to the Smartec Client Portal
Who needs this?
Stadiums & large venues
Enhanced tier by capacity alone
Shopping centres & retail
High footfall spaces open to the public
Schools & education
Halls and assembly spaces meeting the capacity threshold
Museums, galleries & visitor attractions
Named categories under the Act's Schedule 1
PROJECT
Wembley NE03
Smartec delivered the evacuation alert system as part of the wider life safety installation at Wembley NE03, working alongside the Honeywell Gent fire detection system already in place at the development.
FAQs
- When does Martyn's Law come into force?
- Not yet. The Act received Royal Assent in April 2025, with at least 24 months' implementation period, placing the earliest realistic date around April 2027.
- What's the difference between standard and enhanced tier?
- Standard tier (200-799 people) requires basic procedures only. Enhanced tier (800 or more) additionally requires consideration of physical measures to reduce vulnerability and harm.
- Does Martyn's Law require us to install a lockdown system?
- No. The Act is outcomes-focused and doesn't mandate specific equipment, but you must be able to communicate procedures clearly. A dedicated lockdown system is a practical way to evidence that.
- Can we use our existing fire alarm for lockdown instead?
- Only if the signals are clearly distinguishable and cannot be mistaken for a fire evacuation. Most sites choose a genuinely separate lockdown system to remove that risk entirely.
- Which manufacturer does Smartec install?
- Smartec is a Kentec approved installer for Wireless Lockdown Notification Systems, built on Kentec's self-healing K-Mesh technology.