The Civil Nuclear Constabulary says it provides more than 60% of the UK’s total armed policing surge capability, alongside its core role protecting nuclear sites, material in transit and other critical national infrastructure.

The Civil Nuclear Constabulary provides more than 60% of the UK’s total armed policing surge capability and is authorised to provide armed protection aboard cross-Channel ferries, the UK Defence Journal understands.

The scale of the force’s wider national security role is detailed in the Civil Nuclear Police Authority’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2025-26. The CNC forms a core component of the Strategic Armed Policing Reserve, allowing armed officers to reinforce other police forces during major incidents, national security operations and periods of increased demand.

The report states that the Constabulary accounts for more than 60% of the UK’s total armed policing surge capability, while continuing to maintain its own round-the-clock armed protection commitments. At 31 March 2026, the CNC employed more than 1,800 officers and staff across 13 sites in England and Scotland, supported by firearms training centres at Bisley in Surrey, Griffin Park in Cumbria and Dounreay in Caithness.

The report also confirms that the CNC is authorised and prepared to provide armed protective security on cross-Channel ferries, where officers could provide an armed deterrent and response capability. During the year, officers from Dungeness trained with Kent Police at the Channel Tunnel in an exercise intended to test interoperability, communications and responses to complex firearms scenarios. CNC officers were also used to support national policing requirements during the visits of US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as well as protection activity involving the Royal Family and visiting dignitaries.

The force’s wider operational activity remained substantial. Authorised Firearms Officers delivered more than 150 shifts as part of national firearms surge deployments during 2025-26, while the CNC recorded more than 4,600 Project Servator deployments. Project Servator is used by police forces to detect and disrupt criminal and potentially hostile activity, including terrorism, through deployments intended to be visible but unpredictable. The CNC says its officers must be available to support such national requirements without reducing its ability to maintain armed protection at the sites for which it is directly responsible.

The Constabulary’s permanent responsibilities also expanded during the year, with full operating capability achieved at four non-nuclear energy sites at Bacton, Easington, Garlogie and St Fergus. More than 100 Ministry of Defence Police officers transferred into the CNC when the organisation assumed responsibility for armed protection at the four locations on 1 April 2025. Chief Constable Simon Chesterman said, as quoted in a news update: “We also demonstrated our ability to expand our protective services to new areas of critical national infrastructure, and to continue to support national policing needs.” He added: “We are dynamic and flexible, with the whole organisation working together to meet our objectives, for this past year, and the years ahead of us.”

The annual report places that expansion against what the CNPA describes as an evolving threat environment. Artificial intelligence, the increasing use of drones and sophisticated cyber attacks are identified as new challenges for the protection of nuclear material and sensitive sites. The Authority says its strategic plans include measures to strengthen cyber security and counter unmanned aerial vehicles, while CNC officers must remain equipped and trained to respond to evolving forms of sabotage. Its core mission continues to include maintaining a 24-hour armed response, detecting and reporting hostile reconnaissance, providing armed escorts for nuclear material and supporting spontaneous national surge requirements.

At the same time, the geographical footprint of the force is changing as older parts of Britain’s nuclear estate close. Policing services ceased at Hunterston B in Ayrshire and Hinkley Point B in Somerset during the year, with officers from Hinkley Point B transferring to Hinkley Point C. The CNPA says expansion into other areas of critical national infrastructure provides a way to manage changing demand as established nuclear sites cease operations and new energy infrastructure comes into service.

Susan Johnson OBE, Chair of the Civil Nuclear Police Authority, said, as quoted in the same news update: “Ongoing geopolitical volatility leads to increasing threats to energy security and the CNC plays a core role in securing the UK’s nuclear material. We have earned an enviable reputation for professionalism, agility and trust in our ability to deliver our core mission and expand our services into other areas of critical national infrastructure and homeland security.” She said the Police Authority and Constabulary intended to pursue further expansion in the years ahead.