Everyday security for venues: what every volunteer should know
Updated 26 October 2026. Guidance, not legal advice.
Martyn's Law is about having procedures. This page is the everyday know-how that makes them work: what to do about an unattended bag, how to report something that doesn't feel right, and what to do in the worst case. All of it comes from the police's own free advice.
In short
- Unattended bag? Try to find the owner first. If it's still suspicious, don't touch it: Confirm, Clear, Communicate, Control.
- Something not right? In an emergency call 999. Otherwise report it in confidence on 0800 789 321 or at gov.uk/ACT.
- In an attack: Run, Hide, Tell.
- Free training: the police's ACT Awareness e-learning takes about 45 minutes.
- Practise: use our 15-minute exercise at your next committee meeting.
An unattended bag or item
Most unattended items are simply lost: a coat at the Christmas fair, a bag left after the toddler group. Start there. Ask around, check with the hirer, and see if anyone saw who left it.
If you can't find the owner, the police use a quick test called HOT to decide whether an item is suspicious:
Hidden
Has it been concealed or deliberately put out of sight?
Obviously suspicious
Can you see wires, batteries, tape or liquids, or does it look like a threat?
Typical?
Is it the kind of thing you'd expect to find here? A hymn book bag in a pew is; a sealed box by the fire door isn't.
If, after this, you still think it's suspicious, don't touch or move it, and follow the four Cs:
- 1Confirmwhether it has suspicious characteristics, using HOT.
- 2Clearthe immediate area. Move people well away calmly.
- 3Communicateby calling 999 and telling the person in charge.
- 4Controlaccess, so nobody goes back in until the police arrive.
Reporting something that doesn't feel right
You know your building and your regulars. If something feels wrong, trust your instincts and report it. You won't be wasting police time, and your identity is protected.
Examples the police give that are relevant to venues:
- someone paying unusual attention to your CCTV or security arrangements
- someone photographing your entrances and exits
- unusual deliveries
Note what you saw, when, and any description or vehicle details. Don't challenge anyone or put yourself at risk.
In the worst case: Run, Hide, Tell
This is the national police advice for a weapons attack. Your venue's procedures should fit around it.
If it's safe, this is the best option. Get out, keep going and spread out. Don't gather at the fire assembly point, and leave belongings behind.
If you can't run, hide. Lock doors and close windows, get away from them, get down, stay quiet and stay hidden. Put phones on silent.
Tell the police by calling 999 when it's safe to do so: where the attacker is, what they look like, and which way they went.
Two things that are different from a fire: don't sound the fire alarm to get people out of an attack, because it can send them towards the danger, and the best safe room is away from windows, outside walls and entrances.
Free training for your volunteers
ACT Awareness e-Learning Free · about 45 minutes
Counter Terrorism Policing's online course, open to anyone. It covers spotting suspicious activity and items, what to do in an attack, and how to report concerns. You can pause and come back, and you get a certificate at the end. Register free on ProtectUK. Ideal for key holders, welcome teams and anyone who opens up the building.
- Churches and places of worship: ProtectUK also has Faith Security Training, with versions for Christian, multi-faith and other faith settings.
- A fuller group exercise: ACT in a Box is an interactive scenario that takes a group about 90 minutes, with a facilitator's guide.
A 15-minute practice for your committee
Put this on your next agenda. Read each scenario aloud, give the room five minutes to talk it through, then open "What good looks like". Note anything you'd change.
The bag by the fire door
It's the Christmas fair. A volunteer spots a sports bag tucked behind the stacked chairs by the fire door. Nobody nearby knows whose it is.
- Who would the volunteer tell, and how would they find them?
- How would you try to find the owner?
- If it's still suspicious, who calls 999, and how do you move people away without panic?
What good looks like
- Everyone on duty knows who's in charge today and how to reach them.
- The owner is looked for first: announce it, ask stallholders, check with the organiser.
- If it's still suspicious, nobody touches it. The person in charge applies HOT, then Confirm, Clear, Communicate, Control: move people away calmly, call 999, and stop anyone going back in.
The visitor with questions
Two weeks before a large wedding reception, a key holder sees someone outside photographing the side entrance and fire exits. Later, the same person asks a volunteer what time the hall is locked up.
- Would your volunteers think this was worth mentioning?
- Who should report it, and how?
- What details would be useful?
What good looks like
- Volunteers know that photographing entrances and exits, or interest in security, is worth reporting, and that reporting is confidential.
- Nobody challenges the person. Someone notes the date, time, description and any vehicle.
- It's reported on 0800 789 321 or at gov.uk/ACT, or on 999 if there's an immediate threat.
- Locking-up times and key holder details aren't shared with people who don't need them.
Trouble outside
During a busy evening event, someone runs in and says there's a man with a knife in the car park, heading for the building.
- Do you bring people in, or send them out?
- Which doors would you lock, who has the keys, and how long would it take?
- Which room would people go to, and how would you tell everyone?
What good looks like
- The danger is outside, so people come in and stay in (invacuation). Nobody sounds the fire alarm.
- Doors and windows are locked or closed quickly by people who know which keys to use.
- People move to a room away from windows, outside walls and entrances, get down, stay quiet and stay hidden, with phones on silent.
- The person in charge calls 999 when it's safe and gives clear, calm instructions.
Finish by agreeing three actions, for example "label the keys for the side doors", "brief the fair volunteers", or "add the reporting number to the hirer sheet". Minute them, and run the exercise again in a year.
Want it written down for your building?
Protect My Venue turns a 20-minute questionnaire about your building into a ready-to-use plan, a volunteer briefing and a hirer sheet, so everyone on duty knows the right doors, keys and rooms for your venue.
Official sources
- Counter Terrorism Policing: Run, Hide, Tell
- ProtectUK: suspicious items
- ProtectUK: report suspicious activity and gov.uk/ACT
- ProtectUK: ACT Awareness e-Learning
This page summarises free public advice from Counter Terrorism Policing, ProtectUK and GOV.UK as at October 2026. Always follow instructions from the police and emergency services on the day. It isn't legal advice.