International Security Journal hears exclusively from Jamie Barnfiend, Senior Sales Director of IDIS Europe about using AI video to comply with Martyn’s Law.
For UK end-users now required to operate safer and more secure public spaces, the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 undoubtedly brings challenges – but it also gives new reasons to be optimistic and we need to get that encouraging message across.
Rather than treating the compliance requirement as a grudge purchase, organisations should embrace this as an opportunity to tap into the full benefits of technologies such as AI video.
This is an exciting field of innovation where we are already seeing businesses transform efficiency and unlock faster growth potential in many customer-facing sectors, including retail and hospitality venues such as hotels and casinos.
And while any upfront costs may seem unwelcome for smaller organisations, they can be kept manageable and systems can deliver efficiency gains and return on investment (ROI) quickly.
The affected businesses and organisations – the ‘duty holders’ under the new law – include public events organisers, bars and nightclubs, hospitals and stadiums, shopping centres, educational facilities and transport hubs.
For them, the latest video analytics tools don’t just offer a cost-effective answer to the compliance obligations; they can unlock of a host of other benefits from AI video.
These include cost savings from streamlining operations, improving service delivery, deploying staff more efficiently and consistently delivering better customer experiences.
In the age of online reviews, competitive trading environments and cost-of-living pressures on consumers, these factors matter and can be leveraged to deliver a tangible advantage.
For business owners and managers the new law should be a catalyst.
As well as making their venues and events safer this is an opportunity to discover the profit-boosting potential, the rapid ROI and ROX, that AI-powered video analytics can deliver.
There is still good time for organisations to be strategic about compliance, even if they haven’t begun yet, with video installations and upgrades that can be delivered quickly and efficiently
Very soon now, the SIA is expected to begin publishing statutory guidance and advice for duty-holders. Once approved by the Home Secretary, this guidance will underpin the SIA’s ability to take enforcement action. But duty holders shouldn’t wait.
If they haven’t already done so, they should assess whether the law will apply to them and if it does, whether they fall into either the standard tier or enhanced tier category.
This will depend on the number of individuals who can reasonably be expected to be present at their venue (200-799 individuals, in the case of standard or 800-plus individuals, enhanced).
It’s important to note that maximum venue capacity does not have to be taken into account, only the likely number of people expected to be present.
Security consultants and systems integrators should encourage duty holders to begin their assessment of risks now, if they haven’t already done so.
This will allow a manageable introduction of measures to support compliance – and in the case of AI video analytics to unlock wider benefits.
AI video offers some major advantages, especially where video system upgrades are already planned or where they can be phased in affordably between now and April 2027.
Analytics can be targeted at specific points, using edge AI cameras or they can be implemented system-wide with AI capabilities via enterprise VMS.
AI boxes can also be added, allowing groups of cameras to be enhanced with AI capabilities.
To meet the privacy requirements of public settings, the latest privacy masking solutions are designed to improve ease of use and the accuracy of real-time surveillance.
Using this technology, individuals can be protected from unintentional exposure in live video feeds, especially when screens are visible to unauthorised individuals, without compromising clarity of detail, including scene backgrounds.
Cybersecurity is also expected to be an important compliance consideration and video solutions with tested, multi-layered cybersecurity protection will be needed.
Today’s AI analytics solutions provide a unique solution to the challenge of maintaining the consistent, 24/7 vigilance required to support rapid incident response.
At venues that must manage surge events and rely on less experienced, part-time security staff and stewards, the powerful extra capabilities of AI video may prove crucial.
For example, real-time people counting can be used to monitor entry points, concourses and public areas, to track live headcounts via easy-to-use, at-a-glance dashboards.
Automated alerts can be sent to monitoring teams and security officers (at workstations or using mobile apps) if safe occupancy thresholds are exceeded.
This can be key to supporting rapid intervention and dynamic crowd management.
People-counting data can also be automated, with a full audit trail to demonstrate compliance, proving whether a venue is correctly defined as an enhanced tier, a standard tier or even exempt altogether.
Unusual movement patterns can also be detected using video analytics, including sudden bottlenecks, rapid dispersal or clustering, all of which are signs of a potential incident.
Unattended object detection will identify items left, for example, in high-footfall areas where they pose a potential risk.
Again, automated alerts will support rapid investigation.
Video management software can also be configured to relay video clips to operations managers and senior executives, providing them with the domain awareness they need to initiate emergency protocols and procedures and ensure coordinated liaison with local police forces and emergency services.
AI video is also becoming increasingly sophisticated, easier to use and more intuitive and is now highly accurate at flagging behaviours that might indicate potential risk.
Typical examples include line crossing into unauthorised areas, intruder detection, suspicious loitering by people or vehicles and potential safety incidents such as trips and falls.
Other new AI tools support faster searching and object/suspect identification in real-time monitoring, with both at-a-glance cropped images and rapid search filters making it easier to locate crucial scenes based on key attributes such as age, gender, clothing colour or whether they have accessories such as glasses, hats, masks or bags.
Vehicles can be searched for by colour or type.
One obvious and highly relevant application of these functions is that they make it easier and faster to trace the movements of anyone who abandons an object or is seen carrying a suspect package or backpack, as well as to identify and locate others they come into contact with.
Many, but not all, of these capabilities may be needed immediately, but the advantage of today’s solutions is that once a good AI video system is installed, new functions can be easily accessed as needs arise or new opportunities become apparent.
Similarly, as analytics improve further, once users have established an AI video infrastructure, they will be able to easily upgrade their systems to maintain optimal resilience and preparedness.
The coming months will be a time of significant and welcome development for the UK security sector and its customers, with potential benefits for the wider global market in terms of best-practice operations and the implementation of video surveillance.