The Civil Nuclear Police Authority ( cy, Yr Awdurdod Heddlu Niwclear Sifil) is the

police authority A police authority in the United Kingdom is a public authority that is responsible for overseeing the operations of a police force. The nature and composition of police authorities has varied over time, and there are now just four dedicated "police ...

that oversees the

Civil Nuclear Constabulary The Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) (Welsh: ''Heddlu Sifil Niwclear'') is a special police force responsible for providing law enforcement and security at any relevant nuclear site and for security of nuclear materials in transit within the Unit ...

. A police authority is a body corporate in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

that defines strategic plans for a

police force The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and th ...

and provides accountability so that the police function "efficiently and effectively". The authority was created in 2004 by the Energy Act 2004. The authority is subject to freedom of information requests.

Members

The authority has eight members appointed by the

Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change was a British government cabinet position from 2008 to 2016. The Department of Energy and Climate Change was created on 3 October 2008 when then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown ...

: the Chairman, independent members and police advisor member are selected after application and interview, while five members are recommended by the

nuclear industry Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced ...

operating companies.

Powers

Through the

the authority is authorised to carry out covert intelligence operations against anti-nuclear protesters. In July 2009 Judge Christopher Rose said the CNC's "approach to covert activity is conspicuously professional". He found that the system for storing the intelligence gained from informers was "working well" and that "senior officers regard covert surveillance as a long-term requirement".

References

External links

* 2004 establishments in the United Kingdom Government agencies established in 2004 Non-departmental public bodies of the United Kingdom government Department of Energy and Climate Change Police authorities of the United Kingdom {{UK-gov-stub