After losing her son in a terrorist attack in May 2017 Figen Murray realised that there are no legal requirements for venues to keep customers and staff safe from terrorist threats. After starting a campaign, she is now working with the government on this legislation.
BIO:
Figen Murray is the mother of Martyn Hett, who at 29 years of age was tragically killed alongside 21 others at the Manchester Arena terrorist attack in May 2017. Since the Manchester Arena attack, Figen has been working with the Government and the security industry to make the tangible changes that can help ensure no other
family has to go through what hers has. She is the force behind Martyn’s Law (Protect Duty), a legislation requiring publicly accessible locations to improve security against the threat of terrorism. Her ambitions to better understand counter-terrorism saw her achieve a distinction in a counter terrorism master’s degree from the University of Central Lancashire.
Figen’s dedication and work in counter terrorism saw her awarded an OBE in the 2022 New Year’s Honours List. She is a Visiting Fellow for the Institute of Strategic Risk Management, a member of the senior leadership team for TINYg, and an Associate Member of the Security Institute. Figen was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Salford in November 2022.
She dedicates most of her time to talk about the legislation, giving a personal account of why she feels so strongly about it, telling the audience about the harrowing days following the attack and how life has been since then. Figen also explains her journey to Martyn’s Law, how it all started and some of the difficulties she has encountered. She ends her presentation with an update of the latest development of the legislation.
