Successful exercise completed at Dounreay
CNC’s Operational Policing Unit at Dounreay completed its most ambitious Regulatory Evaluation Demonstration Exercise (REDE), achieving ONR’s ‘adequate’ rating.
Multi agency working during the Regulatory Evaluation Demonstration Exercise.
Months of planning by the Civil Nuclear Constabulary’s (CNC’s) Exercise and Resilience team and their opposite numbers at NRS Dounreay saw the design of a scenario that involved, and tested, multiple agencies and their response to an attack by adversaries intent on stealing nuclear material.
In the scenario, a lorry transporting a flask of nuclear material from Dounreay power station for onward transport by rail from Georgemas Junction train station, was held up by a deliberate car crash and attacked by armed offenders. Back on the power station site, information about an insider passing on vital details led to CNC officers arresting a member of NRS staff in connection with the incident.
Officers responding to the incident were able to neutralise the threat within minutes and local emergency services then took over the scene. CNC were then able to continue the exercise, running a Post Incident Management scenario to practice the way officers would be supported in the aftermath of such an incident.
The following day, CNC joined colleagues from NRS Dounreay, Highland Council, the Vulcan Naval Reactor Test Establishment (NRTE), Police Scotland and other blue light partners to take part in a workshop designed to consider how the site and local community would approach recovery.
Steve Warren, Exercise and Resilience Manager, who was responsible for working with NRS Dounreay to design and organise the event, said: “This was a scenario that had not been exercised or tested before, meaning we were asking a lot of everyone involved. We achieved the ‘adequate’ rating from ONR, and the exercise really pushed the boundaries.”
Chief Inspector Dave McIntosh, of Dounreay Operational Policing Unit, said: “Under really challenging circumstances, the officers came away with a win and that is phenomenal. It was a tough day and big ask, but the contingency worked and the nuclear material was protected. I’m very proud of them, they did a really, really good job.”
Chief Superintendent Ian Davies, Divisional Commander, said: “This was an extremely complex exercise, designed to test people in ways they had not been tested before. Officers from the CNC performed very well and I am proud of the way they worked with each other and their colleagues at partner agencies, to deliver our Mission in a high-pressure scenario. I’d also like to recognise the hard work of those who designed and organised the event, which was a real achievement. I spoke to ONR and multiple other partners afterwards and they all agreed it had been a very positive day with some excellent learning coming out of it.”