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Yes,\u00a0wireless\u00a0and electronic access control can meet Martyn’s Law requirements, but compliance depends on how the system is configured and used, not on the locking technology itself. A wireless system with no audit trail or lockdown planning offers no more protection than an old mechanical lock. The capability\u00a0has to\u00a0be switched on and set up correctly.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It’s\u00a02am. An alarm trips in a wing of the building nobody\u00a0monitors\u00a0closely, and someone needs to know, right now, who can get into that area, and whether it can be sealed off before anyone reaches the door on foot. If the honest answer is “we’d have to find whoever’s got the master key,”\u00a0you’re\u00a0not alone.\u00a0In\u00a0SimonsVoss’s\u00a0own survey of facilities and security professionals, 91% said\u00a0they’d\u00a0be in exactly that position.\u00a0That’s\u00a0the gap Martyn’s Law is designed to close.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n That distinction matters, because most of the organisations already asking this question\u00a0have\u00a0wireless or electronic locking installed somewhere on their estate. The real question\u00a0isn’t\u00a0“wireless or wired?”\u00a0It’s\u00a0“does our current setup actually do what Martyn’s Law\u00a0requires\u00a0of us?”<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n Martyn’s Law<\/span><\/a>, formally the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025,\u00a0doesn’t\u00a0specify a locking technology, software\u00a0platform\u00a0or hardware brand. It\u00a0doesn’t\u00a0tell you to rip out mechanical keys or install a particular access control system. What it does is set an expectation: those responsible for premises should take reasonably\u00a0practicable\u00a0steps to prepare for, and respond to, a security incident.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The Act applies on a tiered basis, based on how many people a premises can\u00a0reasonably expect\u00a0to have present at once. Standard Tier covers premises expecting 200 to 799 people, and focuses on procedures, training and clear evacuation,\u00a0invacuation\u00a0and lockdown plans. Enhanced Tier covers premises expecting\u00a0800 or more, and\u00a0adds formal risk assessments and reasonably\u00a0practicable\u00a0physical security measures, which is where access control capability starts to matter directly. The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is the regulator responsible for overseeing compliance across both tiers.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Proportionality runs through all of it. A community hall with 250 visitors on a busy day\u00a0isn’t\u00a0expected to install the same access control infrastructure as a stadium. What both need to\u00a0demonstrate\u00a0is that\u00a0they’ve\u00a0assessed their risk and put reasonable, proportionate measures in place, not that\u00a0they’ve\u00a0bought the most advanced system available.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In practice, for access control, that\u00a0generally translates\u00a0into being able to:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This\u00a0isn’t\u00a0a legal checklist, and this article\u00a0isn’t\u00a0legal advice. Organisations should refer to\u00a0<\/span>official government guidance<\/span><\/a>\u00a0for the specifics that apply to their premises. But the direction of travel is consistent: demonstrable control and structured preparedness are becoming the baseline, not a bonus.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n This is where wireless and electronic locking earns its place. Done properly, it gives estates and facilities teams four things a mechanical master-key system simply\u00a0can’t:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n One important\u00a0caveat: none of this overrides fire safety and emergency egress requirements. Martyn’s Law\u00a0doesn’t\u00a0change existing fire regulations, and any lockdown or access control measure must still allow safe, immediate escape in an emergency. This means specifying fail-safe operation and making sure electrically controlled exit systems and panic hardware meet the relevant British Standards.\u00a0It’s\u00a0a good reason to involve a specialist early, rather than treating security and fire compliance as separate conversations.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For organisations managing distributed or unattended sites, such as plant rooms, comms cabinets and remote technical infrastructure, this same thinking extends beyond the main building.\u00a0SimonsVoss’s\u00a0<\/span>FORTLOX Series<\/span><\/a>\u00a0was built for exactly this kind of site: a battery-free digital cylinder and programmable key that let organisations issue,\u00a0update\u00a0and revoke access remotely for engineers,\u00a0contractors\u00a0and service providers, without a site visit for every permission change.\u00a0It’s\u00a0the same accountability\u00a0principle\u00a0Martyn’s Law is pushing for, applied to the remote and technical spaces that often get overlooked.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n The technology to do\u00a0all of\u00a0this already exists in most estates. The gap is usually configuration, not hardware.\u00a0SimonsVoss\u00a0surveyed facilities and security professionals on exactly this, and the results point to a consistent pattern.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 91% cannot remotely lock down doors or zones during an incident\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n For\u00a0the large majority of\u00a0organisations surveyed, response still depends on someone physically reaching a door with a key or fob.\u00a0That’s\u00a0not dynamic control,\u00a0it’s\u00a0delay, and in an incident, delay is the thing Martyn’s Law is trying to design out.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 85% do not have predefined lockdown zones configured\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Even where remote capability exists, most organisations\u00a0haven’t\u00a0decided in advance which doors and areas should lock down together, or who has authority to trigger it. Lockdown zones need to be planned before an incident, not worked out during one.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 39% cannot produce an audit trail showing who accessed specific areas and when\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n If something happens and\u00a0there’s\u00a0no clear access record, an organisation moves from evidence to assumption, which is an uncomfortable place to be with insurers, regulators and senior leadership all asking the same question afterwards.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n None of this requires replacing an existing system overnight. Most estates already have some wireless or electronic locking in place; the work is auditing what\u00a0it’s\u00a0currently configured to do, and closing the gaps between “installed” and “compliant.” This also matters for older or listed buildings, where a full rewiring project\u00a0isn’t\u00a0practical. Wireless locking’s original selling point, retrofitting onto existing doors without cabling or structural work, turns out to be exactly what makes Martyn’s Law readiness achievable for estates that\u00a0can’t\u00a0take on major building work.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n That’s\u00a0exactly what our\u00a0<\/span>Access Control Readiness Checklist<\/span><\/b><\/a>\u00a0is built for, a practical, non-technical walkthrough covering access control and physical security, surveillance and monitoring, staff training and operational response, and policy and compliance preparedness.\u00a0It’s\u00a0designed to help you see where your current setup already meets the expectation, and where it\u00a0doesn’t\u00a0yet.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If\u00a0you’d\u00a0like a wider view of what “good” looks like for commercial estates specifically, our\u00a0<\/span>digital locking systems for compliance-ready buildings<\/span><\/a>\u00a0page sets out the core capabilities, centralised permissions, audit trails,\u00a0zone\u00a0and role-based control, that this article has been building toward. And if your estate includes offices or mixed commercial space, our\u00a0<\/span>office access control solutions<\/span><\/a>\u00a0page covers the sector-specific detail.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n 1. <\/span>Is wireless locking as secure as wired?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Yes, when specified and installed correctly. Modern wireless access control uses encrypted communication between credentials,\u00a0locks\u00a0and software, and is held to the same security standards as wired systems. Security depends on configuration and management, not on whether a cable runs to the door.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 2. Does Martyn’s Law name specific technology? <\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n No. The legislation sets expectations around preparedness and reasonably\u00a0practicable\u00a0protective measures. It\u00a0doesn’t\u00a0mandate a particular locking system, software\u00a0platform\u00a0or manufacturer.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 3. What’s the enforcement timeline? <\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Martyn’s Law received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025, with a planned implementation period of at least 24 months. Some provisions are already in force, including the SIA’s statutory duty to produce enforcement guidance, which took effect from June 2026. Full commencement, when the duty to comply\u00a0actually begins, is being signalled for Spring 2027, though this is still subject to formal confirmation. Organisations should check the\u00a0<\/span>latest government guidance<\/span><\/a>\u00a0for\u00a0updates, since\u00a0this timeline can move.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWhat Martyn’s Law Actually Expects of Access Control<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Where Wireless Locking Helps<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Where the Gaps Commonly Show Up<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
How to Check Your Own Readiness<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n
FAQs<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n