PW_1_2026

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Armed for the Atom: Britain’s Hidden Police Force by Matt Okuhara The Civil Nuclear Constabulary is the most heavily armed police force in the UK. And with good reason. Its primary role is to secure nuclear facilities and escort some of the most toxic materials on the planet while they are in transit. U nlike the Home Office constabularies and Police Scotland, CNC officers are routinely armed. Even on their first shift as probationary officers, they are deployed as Authorised Firearms Officers, or AFOs. On a deployment to Cherbourg in France, I picked up a copy of La Monde - the French equivalent of the Daily Mail, and read a short article about our work with the Gendarmerie during one of our escort operations.

It said, Meanwhile at the port of Cherbourg, operations took place without the slightest hitch. Just before 11am, the five fuel packages were loaded into the holds of the Pacific Heron. Various radiological surveys were then carried out by Areva, by the British crew and by the Japanese owners of the cargo. The ship left Cherbourg at 6:35pm and was joined offshore by its counterpart the Pacific Pintail. The two ships sail together with English Commandos onboard equipped with cannons on the deck. So along with being the most heavily armed police force in the country, maybe the CNC is also one of the most unique.

So what do these AFOs actually do all day and all night? The old joke goes, “gate goes up, gate goes down,” but in reality the CNC has handed over those gate-guardian duties to the nuclear industry’s own security teams. This allows the Constabulary to focus on its core functions of armed policing and counter-terrorism. From Dounreay at the very top of Scotland to Dungeness on the south coast, CNC AFOs carry out internal and external patrols, responding to the needs of the nuclear community. Sellafield, for example, has 40 miles of roads, a railway station, and more than 50,000 staff. That is twice the population of the nearest town, Whitehaven. On the east coast, Hartlepool Power Station sits in the middle of an industrial area, while Hinkley Point in Somerset is currently the largest engineering project in Europe. Fortunately, the CNC does not often make the news. On the rare occasions it does, it may be because of an embarrassing incident, but more often it is due to the Constabulary’s achievements: commendations, mutual aid, or the successful completion of planned firearms operations, including domestic and international escorts. During my time with the CNC, I was fortunate to serve as part of Escort Ops, formally known as the Strategic Escort Group. The amount of planning and preparation required for an international movement to Japan is extraordinary, covering everything from ensuring there is enough 30mm cannon ammunition to checking whether there are any vegetarians on the team. It also involves confirming that there are enough specialists on board, such as armourers and medics, and even keeping track of whose birthday will occur during the voyage. And that is all before the months of build-up training even begin. When the operation finally gets underway, officers can expect to spend weeks or even months aboard specially constructed armed transport vessels, escorting the Special Nuclear Material until it arrives safely at its destination port. On board, the officers have to be prepared for anything. There is no help coming deep in the ocean. For most of the voyage the officers won’t even see land - the ships staying away from common sea lanes and commercial passages. In fact all of the blue light services fall to the officers on board. Medical emergency? Fire? Pirates? Protestors? The pre-embarkation training has to cover all possible eventualities. But why use the police and not the Navy? The answer is quite simple. An armed naval vessel, in another territory’s water; even a friendly nation, requires diplomacy and agreements far and above those of the merchant fleet. Otherwise people might call it… an invasion. Each nation has its own security arrangements and when the vessels finally arrive at their destination, the task inevitably becomes an international policing operation. Working hand in hand with the Japanese Coast Guard, the German Wasserschutzpolizei or the United State’s Federal Protective Forces the Strategic Escort Group still has responsibility for the jurisdiction of the UK flagged vessel and fuel until the offloading is complete.

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POLICE WORLD Vol 71 No.1, 2026