Frequently asked questions
The questions we are actually asked, answered without the sales language.
FAQ
Everything, in one place
Is Martyn’s Law in force yet?
No. The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025, but its duties have not commenced. The Home Office set an implementation period of at least 24 months and the SIA expects the Act to come into force in spring 2027, with the date to be confirmed. Anyone selling you a deadline today has not checked.
Does Martyn’s Law require CCTV?
No. The standard-tier duty is about procedures — evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication — and the Home Office is explicit that there is no requirement to put physical measures in place. Cameras and access control only enter the picture at the enhanced tier, and even then the Act asks what is appropriate and reasonably practicable rather than what is available.
Our school has 1,400 pupils. Are we enhanced tier?
No. Childcare, early years, primary, secondary and further-education premises are standard duty premises regardless of how many people are expected, because Schedule 1 of the Act puts them there. Higher education has no such protection. If a supplier has told you a large school could be enhanced tier, they are wrong.
So why would a school buy anything?
Because the incidents schools actually deal with are not terrorism. They are an intruder at the gate, a safeguarding concern, vaping in the toilets, a missing pupil, an aggressive visitor, a break-in over half term. Those are the reasons to invest, and they are honest ones. Martyn’s Law is a reason to review your procedures, not a reason to buy equipment.
Where does our footage live?
On the camera, and in the EU region — Ireland — for cloud backup. There is no UK region, and we are not going to tell you there is. Verkada holds ISO/IEC 27001, 27017, 27018 and 27701, SOC 2 Type 2, and certification under the UK Extension to the Data Privacy Framework.
Who are you, exactly?
SEGsafe is the security brand of The Specialist Electrical Group, an electrical contractor based in St Albans. SEG Core Ltd is a Verkada Gold Partner and reseller. We are not affiliated with or operated by Verkada Inc.
Do you fit it yourselves?
Yes. Design, containment, cable, power, terminations, commissioning and certification by our own engineers. The electrical work is certified under the group’s NICEIC approval.
Are your engineers DBS checked?
Yes, for school work. Certificates available on request.
Can Verkada do mass notification or a tannoy announcement?
No. Verkada does not make a public-address or mass-notification system. Alerts go to named recipients, and the talk-down speaker is exactly that. If site-wide announcement is what you need, it is a separate system and we will tell you so.
Is there a panic button?
In hardware, yes — a wired input on an access controller or a wireless panic button. There is no panic or SOS function inside the Command or Verkada Pass mobile apps.
How long is footage kept?
It depends on the camera model and its storage, and on the quality setting. A CD63 with 512GB is roughly 30 days at standard quality. Thirty days of cloud backup is included per camera licence, but it must be enabled per camera and is not retrospective.
Do the vape sensors have cameras or microphones?
No images and no recording of audio content. They report readings, including a noise level.
Can a vape sensor prove who was vaping?
No. Verkada states the index shows likelihood, not proof, and that cooking fumes and aerosols can register. It tells you where to go and when.
What is the warranty?
Verkada publishes warranties up to ten years depending on model. The datasheets for the cameras, controllers, readers, intercoms, sensors and alarm panel we typically specify state ten years.
What happens if we stop paying the licence?
Devices keep recording, but Command access is restricted after a 30-day grace period and alerts stop. Worth weighing when choosing a licence term.
Can we keep our existing cameras?
Sometimes, through a Command Connector licence per channel. Whether it is worth doing depends on their age and quality, and we will tell you when it is not.
Do you publish prices?
No, because Verkada does not publish UK pricing and we are not going to invent it. We explain exactly how a quotation is built on what it costs.
Does any of this make us compliant with Martyn’s Law?
No. Nothing does. The duty sits with the responsible person, and the Home Office says those in scope can comply without buying specialist services.
Not answered here?
Call 01727 822 833 or use the contact form. If it is a question about the legislation rather than the product, we will point you at the source rather than paraphrase it.
Start with a survey, not a quotation.
We walk the site, look at what you already have, and tell you what would genuinely help — including where the answer is that you do not need anything.
Book a free site survey Call 01727 822 833