The anniversary of the Manchester bombing is a reminder to never take security for granted

Seven years on from the Manchester Arena attack, the risk landscape has changed dramatically. So it’s right that places need to do more to protect themselves from terrorist threats, says Tom Clementi

Today marks the anniversary of the 2017 Manchester Arena attack, a senseless terrorist attack in which 22 innocent people were killed and hundreds injured.

Figen Murray, mother of one of Arena’s victims, Martyn Hett, reaches the end of her heroic 190 miles from Manchester to Westminster. He is expected to arrive in Downing Street this morning to ask the Prime Minister to table “Martyn’s Law”, a legal obligation for many landlords to have a plan for what they would do in the event of a terrorist attack.

Terrorism remains a significant threat in the UK, which is why at Pool Re, the UK government-backed terrorism reinsurer, we support Figen’s commitment to change the law. We recognize that the terrorist risk landscape has changed dramatically in recent years, with terrorists adopting new tactics. According to Pool Re’s Annual Threat Report, it is almost certain that terrorists are still planning to carry out indiscriminate mass casualty attacks in the UK, targeting locations accessible to the public, and nearly forty late-stage plots have been foiled by police and services of March information. 2017. UK terror attack methodologies include any target, any location and any weapon, as demonstrated by the 2017 London Bridge attack.

Martyn’s Bill, or the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, was included in the King’s Speech on 7 November 2023, has cross-party support and is part of the legislation the Government intends to pursue in the current parliamentary session. It requires certain places to take the necessary and proportionate measures, within their capacity, to reduce the likelihood of a terrorist attack and/or mitigate the impact of an attack should it occur. Each location’s responsibilities will vary based on its size. Through Martyn’s Law, locations will be better equipped and prepared to respond in the event of a terrorist attack.

Under the bill, more than 300,000 premises in the UK will become subject to specific responsibilities to prepare for terrorist attacks. It identifies two levels of headquarters and would introduce specific responsibilities for each: the standard headquarters, housing 100 to 799 people, should carry out low-cost activities such as providing appropriate training for relevant workers; Enhanced level venues, those with a capacity of 800 or more, would require a more comprehensive terrorism risk assessment and the implementation of a security plan.

Pool Re is ready to assist the UK Government with the implementation of Martyn’s Law in the near future and is supporting this change by providing information and education on what businesses and other organizations, large and small, need to do to prepare.

In its efforts to protect the UK from the threat of terrorism, Pool Re also works with the Home Office and the Counter Terrorism Police to invest in strategic risk mitigation and national security initiatives and supports the National Security Strategic Investment Fund (NSSIF) by making investments. alongside the British Business Bank. NSSIF invests with venture capital managers who support innovative technology start-ups to accelerate the adoption of the Government’s future national security and defense capabilities.

Pool Re was established through collaboration between the UK insurance industry and the UK government in 1993 in response to the withdrawal of commercial property insurance cover due to the Provisional IRA’s devastating bombing campaign in mainland Britain, including the financial centers of London and Manchester, who left. the economy, industry and taxpayers are extremely vulnerable to the effects of future attacks.

Today we are an industry-owned mutual reinsurer and an independent body of HM Treasury and act as a public-private partnership between the insurance industry and government to help companies recover after a terrorist attack.

Our mission is to ensure that all UK businesses, from the largest premises to the smallest SMEs, can access affordable and comprehensive terrorism insurance, helping to boost resilience in the economy and protect society and livelihoods from the economic consequences of terrorism. Nowhere else in the world do companies have access to such comprehensive coverage, backed by a wide range of risk management and threat analysis support.

Inspired by the courage of Figen Murray and many others like her, Pool Re is proud to play its small part in bringing the public and private sectors together to help build confidence and resilience in the face of a threat that will never stop in its mission to it reveals our society and way of life. Seven years on from the events in Manchester, today is an important day to remind us that we must never take our safety for granted.

Tom Clementi is CEO of Pool Re