Lockdown Systems: Safeguarding Public Spaces in an Evolving Threat Landscape

In response to growing threats such as terrorism and active shooter incidents, lockdown systems have become essential for public safety.

These systems are designed to rapidly secure buildings and protect occupants during emergencies. The urgency for such systems has been amplified by legislative measures like Martyn’s Law*, officially known as the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, which mandates enhanced security protocols for public venues across the UK.

Lockdown systems are integrated security mechanisms that enable rapid facility lockdown during emergencies. They typically include:

• Automated door locking
• Communication alerts to staff and emergency services
• Live video feeds for situational awareness
• Mobile activation via apps or panic buttons

Lockdown systems are designed to protect the occupants of any building where large numbers of the public are gathered. Examples include schools & colleges, live event venues, corporate offices and shopping centres.

As a commercial audio specialist, we can design and supply the audio components of a lockdown system to integrate with your new or existing access control and surveillance systems.

Our Lockdown+ package is based around the Waves System VP330 media file player and scheduler which features 8 input triggers and 8 output triggers.

The Emergency Button supplied activates the lockdown alert message which then broadcasts across the site via a public address system. Alternatively, the system can be activated remotely by a member of staff via smart phone or computer using the VP330’s built in web browser. When the alert is resolved, a second message can be activated to announce the ‘All Clear’.

In day to day running, the VP330 can play scheduled administrative announcements such as shift change, break time, class change notifications etc. Included in our package is a USB drive with the necessary software and recorded bespoke messages.

Here are some examples of the kind of audio files you may want to include:

Lockdown Trigger Message	All Clear Message
Staff Alert	Test Message
Class Change Message

Understanding Lockdown Systems

Events like the Manchester Arena bombing (2017), which resulted in 22 deaths, have exposed vulnerabilities in public venues. Such incidents have driven efforts to improve emergency preparedness

Of course, an emergency lockdown situation is not limited to a terrorist threat. Other critical events include:

• Active shooter incidents
• Intrusions or violent behaviour
• Chemical spills

In these events, evacuation may be unsafe. Lockdown procedures enable shelter-in-place strategies to minimize harm to occupants.

For more information about lockdown systems and the current scope of Martyn’s Law, please get in touch, we’d be delighted to hear from you.

* Martyn’s Law is named after Martyn Hett, a victim of the Manchester Arena bombing. His mother, Figen Murray, campaigned for stronger security measures at public venues. The result was the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, which received Royal Assent in April 2025.