Concert venues get ‘airport’ security in victory for mother of Manchester victim
A GRIEVING mother’s mission to protect the public from terror attacks will see airport-style security set up at concert halls, sports stadiums and other entertainment venues.
Figen Murray’s campaign for Martyn’s Law, in memory of the son she lost in the Manchester Arena bombing three years ago, has convinced the Government to announce new regulations at the end of this month, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
It will require venues and councils to ramp up measures to prevent terrorist atrocities, which could include protecting town centres with bollards on main roads to deter vehicle rampages such as those at Westminst e r a nd London Bridge in 2017.
The new powers are named af t er Martyn Hett, 29, one of the 22 victims of suicide bomber Salman Abedi at an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017. The PR manager’s death prompted Mrs Murray, 58, from Stockport, to campaign for greater public protection, and she spoke to Security Minister Brandon Lewis several times to press for the legislation.
Now Martyn’s Law has ‘ 100 per cent’ backing from Boris Johnson, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Mr Lewis, who has written a tribute in the panel below to Mrs Murray’s tireless work.
The Home Office will hire hundreds more counter- terrorism security experts to advise large-venue operators on what measures to take, said an official.
Some venues which can host thousands of people may have to install metal detectors and scanners, while others will be told not to allow entry to anyone carrying large bags. Martyn’s Law will also require security guards at venues to be trained in counter-terrorism measures, to improve the chances of spotting suspicious individuals and packages. And it stipulates that local authorities will have to assess town squares or main roads for measures they can introduce to prevent attacks.
Last week, Manchester City Council became the first local authority to voluntarily i ntroduce Martyn’s Law, a move welcomed by Mrs Murray and his stepfather Stuart.
‘ I know for a fact it will save lives, and families will be saved the heartache we have gone through,’ she said.
‘It’s ridiculous that there are regulations for venues on how hot the food needs to be and how many toilets there need to be, but nothing to do with planning for terrorist attacks.’