Protect Duty – A Summarised Overview
What is Protect Duty and what is currently known?
In the public inquiry into the Manchester Arena Bombing (which took place during a concert on 22nd May 2017 and resulted in 23 fatalities) the Hon Sir John Saunders, Chairman of the Inquiry, stated it was their belief that it would be “… reasonable for publicly accessible venues able to hold gatherings of 100 persons or more to carry out an assessment of threats and implement appropriate mitigating measures at their premises.”.
What is the new legislation likely to address?
It is not possible to state exactly what form the Protect Duty will take as the legislation has not yet been defined, however, the Home Office have stated the Protect Duty will impose a legal requirement for owners and operators of public spaces to be prepared for terrorist attacks.