Civil Nuclear Constabulary

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Coverage
Civil Nuclear Constabulary
Civil Nuclear Constabulary area
Area	UK civil nuclear sites
Size	N/A
Population	N/A
Operations
Formed	2005
HQ	Culham
Officers	650
Divisions	N/A
Stations	16
Chief Constable	Bill Pryke

Website	Civil Nuclear Constabulary

The Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) is an armed special police force that protects civil nuclear installations and substances in the United Kingdom. It came into being on the 1st April 2005, replacing the former United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority Constabulary that was established in 1955. It does not guard nuclear weapons, which is instead the jurisdiction of the British Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence Police.

1 Role
2 Locations
3 Notes
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Role

The role of the CNC is to police and protect civil nuclear sites and materials in the UK, as well as escorting materials when transported overseas. As of 2005, the CNC has 650 personnel. The CNC operates at a total of 16 sites around the UK, including its headquarters at Culham, Oxfordshire. The remaining locations are divided into Operational Units and Support Units.

Led by Acting Chief Constable Jim Smith and authorised in the Energy Act 2004¹ with its own Police Authority, it falls under the remit of the Department of Trade and Industry instead of the Home Office. CNC officers are trained to the same standards as other UK police forces though they have more limited jurisdiction. Constables have jurisdiction and police powers on civil nuclear sites and up to 5 kilometres from such sites and also anywhere where they are escorting nuclear material. However any matters they come across within this limited jurisdiction which is not related to nuclear sites must as soon as practicable be handed over to the local territorial police force. Unlike most UK territorial police forces and special police forces (such as the British Transport Police), CNC officers are routinely armed.

[edit] Locations

The CNC operates at a total of 16 sites in the United Kingdom. Of these, 6 are classed as Operational Units, where an ordinary police presence is maintained, while 9 are Support Units, which have an overt armed police presence.

CNC Headquarters - Culham
Operational Units
- Capenhurst
- Chapelcross
- Dounreay
- Harwell
- Sellafield
- Springfields
Support Units
- Dungeness
- Hartlepool
- Heysham
- Hinkley Point
- Hunterston
- Oldbury
- Sizewell
- Torness
- Wylfa

[edit] Notes

Note 1: The constabulary is established in Chapter 3 ('sections 51 - 71') of the Energy Act 2004. The act sets up the police authority and the position of Chief constable, defines the powers of members of the constabulary, mandates that Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary must inspect the force and amends several other acts.