UK arenas face heightened terror threat, says Pool Re, as Martyn’s Law remains in draft form
The reinsurer has issued threat assessment reports for key sectors at risk of terrorist attack ahead of the new law
It is “almost certain” that terrorists have the intent to conduct attacks against arenas across the UK due to their high-profile nature and the gathering of large crowds, according to Pool Re, the UK government-backed reinsurer for terrorism risk.
The statement is part of an assessment of the current terrorist threats facing arenas and other public venues in the UK issued by Pool Re, and comes as the government is under pressure to give a firm date on when it will introduce new legislation, known as Martyn’s Law, which was published in draft form in June 2023. Six months ago, the government said it would legislate for new anti-terrorist risk management requirements for public venues in this parliament, but the bill remains in draft form. A consultation on whether the rules are too onerous for smaller premises with a capacity of up to 800, classed as “standard tier”, closed in March 2024.
Arena sites are of particular importance due to the terrorist attack that took place in the Manchester Arena in 2017, which prompted the Terrorism Protection of Premises Draft Bill in June 2023, or Martyn’s Law, in memory of Martyn Hett who was killed in the attack, to enhance the protection of public places.
Pool Re said the bill could bring a “pivotal shift in the responsibilities for businesses and organisations that oversee crowded space, events, and venues”.
The reinsurer’s latest assessment states that it is “highly likely” that there would be a heightened terrorist threat to arenas in major cities and those in proximity to iconic sites or major transport hubs.
According to Pool Re, the large crowds that gather at arenas almost certainly provide an attractive target for indiscriminate terrorist attacks.
“As such, it is likely that any terrorist attack against an arena would be conducted by an Islamist-inspired individual due to the ideologically driven intent to conduct indiscriminate attacks against members of the public in the UK,” states Pool Re.
More alarmingly, the report states that due to the busy and crowded nature of arena sites during events, “it is almost certain that potential terrorist actors would be able to conduct hostile reconnaissance without detection”.
The venues report is one of several threat assessment reports for other sectors, which could fall under remit of Martyn’s Law, including transport, retail & wholesale, religious sites, hospitality, education, accommodation as well as culture & entertainment, with detailed reports for sub-sectors setting out the threat level, location-based threats, previous terrorist incidents and a threat visualisation chart.
The latest terrorism assessments come weeks after Pool Re issued proposals to update the scheme in light of greater demand for terrorism cover and to ensure it remains relevant in a digital age.
As Tom Clementi, Pool Re chief executive, commented back in March: “When Pool Re was founded some 30 years ago, it was never intended to be a permanent, static, and definitive solution.
“Our job was always to correct a market failure, and to provide opportunities for the industry to take more terrorism risk onto its own balance sheet and normalise the market.”
