Secure links still two years away

The UK Atomic Energy Authority Constabulary (UKAEAC) guards the UK's nuclear power stations and transportation of radioactive materials.

But without a secure network linking its sites, officers have no direct access to resources such as the Police National Computer (PNC) and no real-time intelligence sharing internally or with national security services.

'The police offices on the UKAEA sites have limited network connectivity, which enables some sharing of information,' says last week's report from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).

'However the remaining sites rely on the IT infrastructure provided by the operating company. This in effect leaves these as discrete operations with little or no network connectivity to the other Constabulary sites.'

The UKAEAC's Police Authority says there are plans in place to introduce secure network systems and to implement the Airwave secure communications network, which is being rolled out by civilian police forces.

'Improvements are being made - Airwave is one of them and the secure information network is the second,' said a Police Authority spokesman.

But neither project will bear fruit for two years.

The national roll out of Airwave is phased and the UKAEAC is a nationwide force, so it will be of little use until the whole network is live in 2005, says UKAEAC IT manager Paul Stone.

And plans for a UKAEAC secure network have been delayed until current organisational changes are completed.

So by the time either scheme is in place, it will be four years since the 11 September terrorist attacks emphasised the need for national security.

There are plans to roll out the existing UKAEAC network to the remaining three sites by the end of the year. But it is not secure enough to pass classified information or to access the PNC.

'We will get a network in every location by the end of the year, but it is still not secure enough for classified information,' said Stone.

UKAEA police would also be called on to deal with any terrorist incident involving radioactive materials, says independent nuclear expert Dr John Large.

'The UKAEA police force is fully conversant with radiological emergencies and they would be best people to deal with that kind of issue,' said Large.

'But if their communication systems are not up to it then under a terrorist attack everything would break down.

'They need to be tied into secure communications network to make sure they can respond,' he said.

A spokesman for the Office for Civil Nuclear Security at the Department of Trade and Industry said officials are looking into the issue but were unable to comment at this stage.

What the MPs sayAndrew Stunnell, Liberal Democrat energy spokesman:

'There are some serious questions that need to be answered, particularly at a time when, with the increased threat of terrorism, is it quite clear nuclear installations would be a prime target within the UK.'

Malcolm Savidge, Labour MP:

'At a time when one of the great concerns is the possibility of a terrorist organisation seeking to produce a dirty bomb, it is vital that we should have the best standards in all matters relating to the security of nuclear sites. That must include having state of the art and well-integrated IT systems.'

Oliver Letwin, Shadow Home Secretary:

'It is inexcusable that the police guarding our nuclear power stations are being hampered in this way, especially at a time when the UK is effectively on a war footing. Nearly two years have passed since September 11, yet we continue to see a muddled and amateurish approach to the terrorist threat.'