Nuclear weaponsGuards at U.K. nuclear weapons facility slept on the job, skipped routine patrols
Police officers of the U.K. Ministry of Defense police, assigned to guard Britain’s nuclear weapons, are under investigation after it has been reported that they had slept on the job and failed to complete routine patrols at a nuclear weapons facility. The Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in Burghfield, Berkshire, is the location of the complex final assembly of nuclear weapons, and also where the U.K. nuclear warheads are maintained and decommissioned.
Police officers of the U.K. Ministry of Defense police, assigned to guard Britain’s nuclear weapons, are under investigation after it has been reported that they had slept on the job and failed to complete routine patrols at a nuclear weapons facility.
The Guardian reports that seven officers at the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) in Burghfield, Berkshire, have already resigned without facing disciplinary charges.
AWE is the location of the complex final assembly of nuclear weapons, and also where the U.K. nuclear warheads are maintained and decommissioned. The Ministry of Defense has created a 2,700-strong police unit specifically for guarding the AWE facility.
An MoD spokesman said that disciplinary action was initiated immediately after the infractions were discovered, and that several officers had been removed from the site and reassigned to other duties pending the conclusion of investigations.
The MoD insists, though, that there had been no threat to the security of the facility or the safety of the nuclear warhead stored there.
A spokesman said: “We can confirm a number of officers are under investigation for failing to complete their full patrols at the Atomic Weapons Establishment.
“The investigation is ongoing and the Independent Police Complaints Commission has been notified. It would be inappropriate to comment further while the case is ongoing, however we can be clear that at no point was the security of the site or its nuclear assets compromised.”
Peter Burt of the Nuclear Information Service, an organization campaigning for nuclear safety, told the Daily Mirror: “The sheer scale of these claims is astonishing, especially given the highly sensitive nature of the complex. It handles radioactive materials, explosives and hazardous chemicals.
“The government never misses an opportunity to tell us how sites like this are at constant risk from terrorists. It’s clear there have been problems with security and supervision at a high level.”
