The founder of The Protect Alliance (UK) told a recent in-depth podcast interview how the shocking events of the Manchester Arena bombing inspired her to work with businesses and organisations across the UK to help prevent more terror attacks.
Jodie Read was interviewed on IPI Insights, the prestigious management training organisation IPI Academy’s podcast, and interviewer Ella Thomas talked to Jodie about her inspiration for founding The Protect Alliance (UK) after successfully running her compliance consultancy Penarth Management for two decades.
Jodie told the podcast she had been shocked by the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017 that left 22 innocent people dead – including concert goer Martyn Hett – and more than 1,000 injured.
Martyn’s mother Figen Murray would later spearhead an eight-year campaign for a law giving venues a legal duty to help protect the public from terror attacks. This law, the Terrorism Protection of Premises Act 2025 but commonly called Martyn’s Law after her son, was finally placed on the statute book last year and it is due to be implemented in a year’s time.
Jodie told the podcast: “I can remember back in 2017, being in my bedroom at home, having the 10 o’clock news on. I can remember it starting to unfold. And obviously the horror that was shared by everyone, picking up with it the morning after.
“And then, of course, I’ve seen the news unfold as the years have gone by, and listened to Figen’s story. And I remember reading the Manchester Arena public inquiry, and it was on the back of that that I realised there were so many basic errors, so many missed opportunities, so many failings of existing legislation…And so from that point forward, I’ve been working on making improvements or working towards helping people improve their performance.”
Jodie met Figen in June last year at the Counterterrorism Expo in London.
Jodie said: “She was very humble, saying, I’m just a mother. I’m just a grieving mother. But she is incredible, an absolute force of nature.”
When Martyn’s Law was enacted in April last year, the UK’s enforcement agencies said they had succeeded in disrupting 39 late-stage terror plots.
At that point in time, there had been 15 domestic terror attacks, and there have been attacks since including the tragedy in Southport.
Jodie said: “Every time something like that happens, it just highlights how important it is that things change.”
Listen to the full podcast interview here on Spotify or here on Apple podcast.
Webinar to detail the impact of the new law
Jodie will present a free webinar for the IPI Academy entitled “What is Martyn’s Law and Why Does it Matter?” on 24 March, a year before the implementation of the landmark anti-terror legislation.
The webinar will look at what the legislation says, which venues are covered by it, and how it will practically impact on organisations and businesses.
Her aim is to help organisations implement simple but robust processes, ensuring that they can meet their legal and moral duty to protect people. Register here.
What does Martyn’s Law say?
Under the new law, public venues with a capacity of between 200 and 799 must undertake public safety measures and draw up detailed risk assessments and plans in the event of an attack. Measures will include training staff to lock doors or close shutters and identifying a route to safety.
Venues with a capacity of 800 or more must make even more changes, such as installing CCTV systems or hiring security staff.
- If you need advice on preparing for the implementation of Martyn’s Law, call us at The Protect Alliance on 02920 695994 or email info@theprotectalliance.uk