Major business initiative in Portsmouth to support Martyn’s Law

The Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, has teamed up with Portsmouth City Council to ensure major steps are being taken to protect the public in the city.

The PCC and the City Council have jointly funded Guardian Response and Incident Packs (GRIP) to seven venues to support Martyn’s Law. The GRIP kits, supplied by the Fareham-based company Forseti Training, are being given to The Hard Interchange, The Wedgewood Rooms, Lakeside, The Botanical Port Solent, the Historical Dockyard, the Civic Offices and Drift Southsea.

Martyn’s Law, formally known as The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill is currently going through Parliament. It aims to better protect the public from terror attacks by requiring certain public venues to improve preparedness and have systems in place to help keep people safe. The Bill is named after Martyn Hett, one of the victims of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing.

According to the Home Office, since the start of 2017 agencies and law enforcement have disrupted 39 late-stage plots and there have been 15 domestic terror attacks. The Bill will mean that for the first time those responsible for qualifying premises and events consider the terrorist risk and how they would respond to an attack.

PCC Donna Jones said: “My role as Police Commissioner is to ensure safer communities. Public safety is of the utmost importance because acts of terrorism can occur at venues and sites at any time. Providing these GRIP kits gives these businesses in Portsmouth the ability to respond quickly to such an event with the equipment and the training to cope with the aftermath as well.

“We are making sure that those on the frontline are trained and prepared to have the best possible chance to protect the public and to save lives. By working together, we are creating a safer environment for both the staff working in these premises and for the public visiting these premises.”

Councillor Steve Pitt, Leader of Portsmouth City Council, said: “Our city should be a place where everyone feels safe. By working in partnership with the Police and Crime Commissioner to introduce the GRIP kits, we want to increase everyone’s confidence to recognise and respond to incidents.”

The Director and Lead Instructor of Forseti Training, Phil Carr, has worked in the night-time economy, corporate, retail and events sector for more than 20 years practising first aid, physical intervention and conflict management within a security role.

He said: “It is vital to make sure that equipment is available to venues and appropriate levels of staff are trained in its use alongside lifesaving skills to ensure someone is always available. Should we face incidents such as the Manchester Arena attack, Southport, and London Bridge again, we need to be able to make a difference.

“Through knowledge and equipment, we can, we will, and we must make safer environments for staff, for customers, and for everyone. This GRIP kit is designed to save lives and cut down response times by placing everything in a single package.”

Each GRIP kit contains a trauma bleed kit, a first aid kit, a portable defibrillator unit that can deliver over 20 shocks, a pocket mask, several burn gel blots, and a foil blanket.