The Civil Nuclear Constabulary: Accountability and Policing Post 9/11

Britain now appears to be a legitimate target for terrorists who may use a variety of tactics and devices to cause as many casualties, disruption and as much panic in society as possible. One way to achieve this would be through the acquisition of nuclear or biological material in order to create a ‘dirty’ weapon. The organisation responsible for guarding civil nuclear sites is a recently formed police agency called the Civil Nuclear Constabulary. The CNC is an armed police force which is the first response for any attempt to unlawfully obtain or tamper with nuclear material. This article raises the question of whether the CNC can be considered as a police organisation and raises some anomalies regarding the accountability and
governance of such a vital organisation.