CNC Jobs
by Site
The CNC recruits site by site: you apply to a named location and are posted there after training. On 23 October 2026 every constable advert was in Scotland. This page lists every CNC site with its local force and status, every open advert with its dates and the packages at Dounreay and in Aberdeenshire, from the CNC's job portal and its 2025/26 accounts.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 23 October 2026 · Civil Nuclear Constabulary (England and Scotland)
On 23 October 2026 the CNC's portal had 10 police officer adverts. New recruit and transferee constable adverts were open at Dounreay (Caithness), Garlogie and St Fergus (both Aberdeenshire), with no closing date. Two firearms instructor adverts close on 16 November 2026 at 23:59. No English site had a new-recruit advert, despite the Sellafield rolling programme announced in March 2026: the CNC says it has reached establishment at several sites. English candidates should set a job alert on the portal.
Who is recruiting now
| Site | New recruits | Transferees | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dounreay (Caithness) | Open (local and relocation adverts) | Open (local and relocation adverts) | National Firearms Instructor advert, closes 16 Nov 2026 |
| Garlogie (Aberdeenshire) | Open, with £5,000 location allowance | Open | |
| St Fergus (Aberdeenshire) | Open, with £5,000 location allowance | Open | |
| FTU North, Griffin Park (Cumbria) | No | No | National Firearms Instructor advert, closes 16 Nov 2026 |
| Every other site | No advert | No advert | Set a job alert on the portal |
So if you live in England and want to join as a new recruit, there is nothing to apply for today unless you are willing to move to the north of Scotland. That is the single most important fact on this page. Read the England section before you give up.
All 10 open CNC police adverts
Read from the CNC's police officer portal on 23 October 2026. The portal showed 10 police officer jobs in total. None of the constable adverts has a closing date, so treat them as open until removed and check the portal before applying.
| Advert | Title | Who it is for | Posted | Closes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 688 | Police Constable AFO Dounreay 2026 | New recruits | 12 Jan 2026 | No closing date |
| 689 | Police Constable AFO Relocate to Dounreay 2026 | New recruits | 12 Jan 2026 | No closing date |
| 690 | Police Constable AFO Transferee Dounreay 2026 | Serving officers (transferees) | 12 Jan 2026 | No closing date |
| 691 | Police Constable AFO Relocate to Dounreay Transferee 2026 | Serving officers (transferees) | 12 Jan 2026 | No closing date |
| 735 | Police Constable AFO Garlogie 2026 | New recruits | 10 Jul 2026 | No closing date |
| 736 | Police Constable AFO St Fergus 2026 | New recruits | 10 Jul 2026 | No closing date |
| 737 | Police Constable AFO Garlogie Transferee 2026 | Serving officers (transferees) | 10 Jul 2026 | No closing date |
| 738 | Police Constable AFO St Fergus Transferee 2026 | Serving officers (transferees) | 10 Jul 2026 | No closing date |
| 746 | Police Constable National Firearms Instructor, Dounreay | Serving or recent firearms instructors | 29 Sep 2026 | 16 Nov 2026, 23:59 |
| 778 | Police Constable National Firearms Instructor, FTU North (Griffin Park, Cumbria) | Serving or recent firearms instructors | 19 Oct 2026 | 16 Nov 2026, 23:59 |
Dounreay has two versions of each advert: a local one and a "Relocate to Dounreay" one. Apply to the relocation advert if you would be moving to Caithness, so you are considered for the relocation package.
A national recruitment campaign built on officers' own experiences launched on 22 September 2026. It names no vacancies or dates, so it does not by itself mean new sites are open.
Every CNC site, its local force and its status
The site list and local forces come from the footprint map in the CNPA's 2025/26 accounts. Status is as read on 23 October 2026. An Operational Policing Unit (OPU) is the CNC's name for the team at a site.
| Site | Type | Local force | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dounreay (Caithness) | Operational Policing Unit, plus FTU Scotland at Forss | Police Scotland North | Recruiting new AFOs and transferees |
| St Fergus (Aberdeenshire) | Non-nuclear (gas terminal) | Police Scotland North | Recruiting; £5,000 location allowance on the new recruit advert |
| Garlogie (Aberdeenshire) | Non-nuclear (gas compressor station) | Police Scotland North | Recruiting; £5,000 location allowance on the new recruit advert |
| Torness (East Lothian) | Operational Policing Unit | Police Scotland East | No advert open |
| Hunterston (Ayrshire) | Operational Policing Unit | Police Scotland West | Policing at Hunterston B ceased in 2025/26 |
| Sellafield (Cumbria) | Operational Policing Unit (the largest) | Cumbria Constabulary | Rolling recruitment announced 3 March 2026; no advert on the portal on 23 October 2026 |
| Heysham (Lancashire) | Operational Policing Unit | Lancashire Police | No advert open |
| Hartlepool (County Durham) | Operational Policing Unit | Cleveland Police | No advert open |
| Easington (East Riding) | Non-nuclear (gas terminal) | Humberside Police | No advert open |
| Bacton (Norfolk) | Non-nuclear (gas terminal) | Norfolk Constabulary | No advert open |
| Sizewell (Suffolk) | Operational Policing Unit | Suffolk Constabulary | No advert open |
| Hinkley Point (Somerset) | Operational Policing Unit | Avon and Somerset Police | Moving from Hinkley Point B to Hinkley Point C |
| Dungeness (Kent) | Operational Policing Unit | Kent Police | No advert open |
| Harwell (Oxfordshire) | Operational Policing Unit | Thames Valley Police | Policing at Harwell is being prepared to end (date not published) |
That is 5 sites in Scotland (one of them, Hunterston, no longer policed) and 9 in England. The CNC's own pages count differently: its careers locations text still describes three sites in Scotland and eight in England plus a headquarters. FOI answers up to 2025 refer to "10 civil nuclear sites". The 2026 accounts give a headline of 13 sites, counting the four gas sites and Hunterston during the year, while the footprint map in the same report shows all 14 locations in the table. We follow the accounts.
CNC officers have constable powers at every relevant nuclear site and everywhere within 5 kilometres of it, as well as when escorting material in transit. The local force in the table is the territorial force for the surrounding area.
England: why there are no new-recruit adverts
On 3 March 2026 GOV.UK announced that Sellafield recruitment had opened for Authorised Firearms Officers on a rolling basis. Sellafield is the CNC's largest site; the careers site describes an 8-mile perimeter. But on 23 October 2026 there was no Sellafield advert, or any other new-recruit advert for an English site, on the portal.
The reason is in the CNPA's 2025/26 accounts: "We have reached establishment at several OPUs which has resulted in less recruitment." In plain terms, several sites have all the officers they are funded for. Officer attrition has also fallen, from 9% to 7%, so fewer places come up.
- Set a job alert on the CNC portal for the sites you would accept.
- Use the wait. The fitness standard (level 7.6 on the bleep test) and the AFO medical can rule people out late in the process. Work on both now.
- Consider Scotland only if you would genuinely live there: you are posted to the site you apply for.
- Look at the MOD Police, the other armed national force, which recruits at English sites. See MOD Police stations.
How site-by-site applications work
- You apply to a named advert. Each advert is for one site (or for firearms instructor posts at a named training unit).
- You go through national and CNC selection. New recruits sit the College of Policing National Sift and Online Assessment Centre, then a CNC Recruitment Day. Transferees have a shorter process.
- You train away from the site. The 19-week residential Initial Foundation Programme starts with a week in Oxfordshire, then a delivery centre. Dounreay recruits may get a local course in Caithness.
- You are posted to your nominated OPU. The CNC says that at the end of the IFP "you will be posted to your nominated Operational Policing Unit".
The CNC does not publish whether it can post you to a different site later or on what terms. If that matters to you, ask before you accept. The full selection process is in our CNC recruitment process guide. Transferees should read the CNC transferee guide.
Dounreay: relocation help and a local course
Dounreay in Caithness has four open constable adverts: local and relocation versions for new recruits and the same two for transferees. It is also home to FTU Scotland, the CNC's firearms training unit at Forss.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Relocation if you buy | Up to £5,000 towards survey, estate agent and removal costs |
| Relocation if you rent | Up to £2,500 to move your belongings |
| How it is decided | Each case assessed individually |
| Local training | At least one local course a year held in Caithness, apart from the first week in Oxfordshire |
| Pay | The standard CNC scale: £32,256 during probation, rising to £52,014 |
| Location allowance | None on the Dounreay adverts |
The local course matters if you have family or caring commitments: most of your 19 weeks of training could be close to home rather than in Oxfordshire, Surrey or Cumbria. The CNC does not say how many places each local course has.
Garlogie and St Fergus: the Aberdeenshire allowance
Garlogie (a gas compressor station) and St Fergus (a gas terminal) are both in Aberdeenshire and both recruiting new recruits and transferees. They are non-nuclear sites the CNC took on on 1 April 2025.
- Location allowance: the new-recruit adverts offer £5,000 a year, "by way of non-consolidated payment, whilst based at this site".
- Transferees: the Garlogie transferee advert does not repeat the allowance. Ask the CNC whether it applies to you.
- Year-one cash: £32,256 plus £5,000 is £37,256 before tax (our arithmetic).
- Pension: whether the allowance counts as pensionable pay is not published.
The CNC pays the same scale in Scotland as in England, so a CNC recruit starts below Police Scotland's starting pay. The allowance changes that comparison at these two sites. See CNC pay scales.
The four gas sites
Since 1 April 2025 the CNC has policed four non-nuclear energy sites as well as nuclear ones. The Energy Act 2023 added a power for the CNC to provide additional police services in the interests of national security, with the Secretary of State's consent.
| Site | Type | Local force | Recruiting on 23 October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Fergus | Gas terminal | Police Scotland North | Yes |
| Garlogie | Gas compressor station | Police Scotland North | Yes |
| Easington | Gas terminal | Humberside Police | No |
| Bacton | Gas terminal | Norfolk Constabulary | No |
The officers who moved to the CNC with this work came from the MOD Police and kept their alpha pension. New CNC recruits join the UKAEA Combined Pension Scheme. See the CNC pension scheme guide.
Sites that are changing
- Hunterston (Ayrshire): the CNPA's accounts record the "cessation of policing services at the Hunterston B nuclear site" during 2025/26. It is not a posting.
- Harwell (Oxfordshire): the accounts list "preparation for cessation at Harwell" as 2025/26 work. Policing there is ending; the date is not published.
- Hinkley Point (Somerset): arrangements are in hand "for transition from Hinkley Point B to Hinkley Point C".
Do not plan a move around Harwell or Hunterston. If you are interested in Hinkley Point, ask the CNC how the transition affects postings there.
Headquarters and training sites
| Location | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Culham Campus, Abingdon, Oxfordshire (OX14 3DB) | Headquarters and Centre for Learning and Development | Moving to a new HQ at the Harwell Science and Innovation Centre during 2026/27. The careers site already labels it Harwell (HQ). |
| Bisley, Surrey | FTU South (firearms training unit) | Firearms training only |
| Griffin Park, Cumbria | FTU North | Opened in 2021; an indoor live-fire tactical centre |
| Forss, Dounreay, Caithness | FTU Scotland | Next to the Dounreay OPU |
The first week of training is a corporate induction in Oxfordshire. Your fingerprints are taken during that first week, for crime scene elimination only. After that, the Feb 2026 apprenticeship overview says training runs across delivery centres in Oxfordshire, Surrey (firearms only), Cumbria and Caithness.
The firearms instructor adverts
Two of the 10 adverts are for National Firearms Instructors: one at Dounreay (advert 746, posted 29 September 2026) and one at FTU North, Griffin Park in Cumbria (advert 778, posted 19 October 2026). Both close on 16 November 2026 at 23:59.
- Who can apply: a serving officer, or one who served in the last three years, who is or was a competent firearms instructor.
- Shooting record: no failed SLP (self-loading pistol) or G36c qualifying shoot in the last two years and an average above 80%.
- Pay: the adverts list a Market Premium Payment, subject to eligibility criteria. The amount is not published. In July 2025 the CNC told an FOI requester that instructors received no extra payment, so this is new.
These are not routes in for new recruits.
The Strategic Escort Group and other specialisms
The Strategic Escort Group protects nuclear material in transit by road and sea, in the UK and abroad. It trains with the Royal Navy and other forces and agencies. GOV.UK adds rail and on-board armed protection. When not deployed, its members work as AFOs at an OPU. In 2025/26 it escorted a shipment from France to Japan.
Entry is after the two-year probation and there was no SEG advert on 23 October 2026. Other roles the CNC names for after probation:
- Sergeant and inspector
- Firearms instructor
- Special Branch
- Dog handler
- Police medic
- Enhanced Carbine officer and Dynamic Search and Interdiction officer
Specialist roles cannot be taken up until probation is complete.
Life on a CNC site
- Shifts: normally four 12-hour days or nights on, then four off.
- Armed from the start: every officer is an Authorised Firearms Officer.
- Fitness on shift: dedicated time in your working hours to train, with gyms and fitness instructors at all sites. You are retested at level 7.6 every year.
- Parking: free at all sites.
- Surge work: the CNC is a core part of the Strategic Armed Policing Reserve, providing more than 60% of the UK's armed policing surge capability. In 2025/26 it covered over 150 surge shifts and over 4,500 Project Servator deployments.
How big is the CNC?
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Officers and staff | Over 1,800 across 13 sites (31 March 2026) | CNPA accounts |
| Average full-time equivalent, 2025/26 | 1,782 officers and staff | CNPA accounts |
| Officers | Approximately 1,200 (July 2025) | CNC FOI 2025/065 |
| Officer attrition | 7% at March 2026 (9% a year earlier) | CNPA accounts |
With around 1,200 officers spread over a dozen sites, each OPU is a small community. Vacancies come up when people leave, retire or move to specialist roles, which is one reason the CNC recruits site by site rather than in national intakes. That last point is our reading, not a CNC statement.
Choosing a site: our advice
General PolicePay guidance, not CNC advice:
- Apply only where you would live. You are posted to the site you apply for and the CNC does not publish how moves work later.
- Visit if you can. Caithness and Aberdeenshire are rural. Think about schools, partners' jobs and travel before you apply.
- Pick the right Dounreay advert. Use the relocation version if you are moving there.
- Ask about the allowance in writing if you are a transferee at Garlogie or St Fergus.
- Set alerts for English sites and keep training while you wait.
What the CNC does not publish
- Closing dates for the constable adverts.
- When English sites will recruit again, including Sellafield.
- Whether you can be moved to another site later and on what terms.
- The date policing at Harwell ends and the future of Hinkley Point B postings.
- How many places each advert or local course has.
- The amount of the instructor Market Premium Payment.
- Whether transferees get the Aberdeenshire allowance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Civil Nuclear Constabulary recruiting?
Yes, in Scotland. On 23 October 2026 the CNC's police officer portal listed 10 adverts: new recruit and transferee constable adverts at Dounreay, Garlogie and St Fergus with no closing date, plus two National Firearms Instructor adverts closing on 16 November 2026 at 23:59. No new-recruit advert for an English site was open.
Where are the Civil Nuclear Constabulary sites?
The CNC's 2025/26 accounts show operational sites at Dounreay, St Fergus, Garlogie, Torness and Hunterston in Scotland. In England they are Sellafield, Heysham, Hartlepool, Easington, Bacton, Sizewell, Hinkley Point, Dungeness and Harwell. Policing at Hunterston B ceased in 2025/26 and Harwell is being prepared to end. Headquarters is at Culham in Oxfordshire, moving to Harwell during 2026/27.
Why is the CNC not recruiting at Sellafield?
The CNC announced rolling recruitment for Sellafield on 3 March 2026, but no Sellafield advert was on the portal on 23 October 2026. The CNPA's accounts say it has reached establishment at several Operational Policing Units, which has meant less recruitment. Set up a job alert on the CNC portal to hear when English sites reopen.
Can I choose which CNC site I work at?
You apply to a named site advert. At the end of the Initial Foundation Programme the CNC says you are posted to your nominated Operational Policing Unit. Whether the CNC can move you to another site later (and on what terms) is not published.
What is the CNC Dounreay relocation package?
The CNC's relocation advert offers up to £5,000 towards survey, estate agent and removal costs if you buy a home, or up to £2,500 to move your belongings if you rent, with each case assessed individually. The CNC also commits to at least one local training course a year held in Caithness, apart from the first week in Oxfordshire.
What is the CNC Aberdeenshire allowance?
The new-recruit adverts for Garlogie and St Fergus offer a location allowance of £5,000 a year, paid as a non-consolidated payment while you are based at the site. The Garlogie transferee advert does not repeat it.
Does the CNC only protect nuclear sites?
Not any more. Since 1 April 2025 the CNC has also policed four non-nuclear gas sites: St Fergus and Garlogie in Aberdeenshire, Easington in the East Riding and Bacton in Norfolk. The Energy Act 2023 added powers for additional police services in the interests of national security.
How many officers does the CNC have?
The CNPA's accounts say the CNC had over 1,800 officers and staff across 13 sites at 31 March 2026. A July 2025 FOI response gave approximately 1,200 officers. Officer attrition fell to 7% at March 2026, from 9% a year earlier.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 23 October 2026. Rules and figures change, so check the source for the date you are reading this. Where we could not confirm something from an official or independent source, the page says so rather than guessing. Spotted something out of date? See our corrections policy.
- CNC police officer job portal (Oracle Recruiting Cloud) : all 10 police officer adverts with posted and closing dates, read 23 October 2026; job alerts (accessed 23 October 2026)
- CNC advert 688: Police Constable AFO Dounreay 2026 : at least one local course a year in Caithness (accessed 23 October 2026)
- CNC advert 689: Relocate to Dounreay 2026 : relocation up to £5,000 for buyers and £2,500 for renters (accessed 23 October 2026)
- CNC advert 735: Police Constable AFO Garlogie 2026 : £5,000 non-consolidated location allowance; pay; shifts; benefits (accessed 23 October 2026)
- CNC advert 736: Police Constable AFO St Fergus 2026 : £5,000 non-consolidated location allowance (accessed 23 October 2026)
- CNC advert 737: Police Constable AFO Garlogie Transferee 2026 : transferee advert without the allowance line (accessed 23 October 2026)
- CNC advert 778: National Firearms Instructor, FTU North : instructor criteria; Market Premium Payment; closing 16 November 2026; SLP and G36c (accessed 23 October 2026)
- CNPA Annual Report and Accounts 2025/26 : site footprint map with local forces; Hunterston cessation; Harwell cessation work; Hinkley Point transition; HQ move; FTUs; size; attrition; surge capability; establishment reached at several OPUs; SEG shipment (accessed 23 October 2026)
- GOV.UK news, 3 March 2026: Sellafield recruitment opens : Sellafield rolling recruitment; specialist roles (accessed 23 October 2026)
- GOV.UK news, 22 September 2026: recruitment campaign launches : campaign built on officers' experiences; no vacancies named (accessed 23 October 2026)
- CNC careers: Locations : location list and older site count wording; Sellafield perimeter (accessed 23 October 2026)
- CNC careers location pages : Garlogie and St Fergus; also the Harwell (HQ), Bisley, Griffin Park, Easington and Bacton pages (accessed 23 October 2026)
- CNC careers: Harwell (HQ) : HQ labelled Harwell (accessed 23 October 2026)
- CNC careers: Bisley : FTU South (accessed 23 October 2026)
- CNC careers: Griffin Park : FTU North, opened 2021, indoor live-fire tactical centre (accessed 23 October 2026)
- CNC careers: Easington : gas terminal site (accessed 23 October 2026)
- CNC careers: Bacton : gas terminal site (accessed 23 October 2026)
- CNC careers: Relocate to Dounreay : relocation support (accessed 23 October 2026)
- CNC careers: Police officers : posted to your nominated OPU after the IFP; shifts; specialisms after probation; gyms and fitness time (accessed 23 October 2026)
- CNC careers: Strategic Escort Group : escort of nuclear material by road and sea; entry after probation (accessed 23 October 2026)
- CNC careers: Military personnel : Enhanced Carbine and Dynamic Search and Interdiction roles (accessed 23 October 2026)
- CNC FOI 2025/065: firearms training (July 2025) : approximately 1,200 officers; FTUs; no instructor payment at that date (accessed 23 October 2026)
- CNC careers: Applying for a role : fingerprints taken in the first week; selection stages (accessed 23 October 2026)
- An overview of apprenticeships in the CNC (PDF, February 2026) : delivery centres in Oxfordshire, Surrey (firearms only), Cumbria and Caithness (accessed 23 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Working for CNC : Strategic Escort Group rail and on-board armed protection (accessed 23 October 2026)
- MOD Police: Current opportunities : MOD Police new recruit adverts at English sites (accessed 23 October 2026)
- Energy Act 2004, section 56 : constable powers at sites and within 5 km (accessed 23 October 2026)
- Energy Act 2023 explanatory notes (CNC provisions) : additional police services in the interests of national security (accessed 23 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
More in this guide series
Free tools for MOD Police and CNC applicants
Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with the Ministry of Defence Police, the Ministry of Defence, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, the Civil Nuclear Police Authority, the Defence Police Federation, the Civil Nuclear Police Federation, the College of Policing or any other force. It does not recruit, vet or assess applicants. Every fact here comes from the force's own pages, GOV.UK, legislation.gov.uk or the other sources listed, read on the date shown. Each force sets and changes its own process and pay: check its current pages and your own invitation before relying on anything here. Our practice questions are original PolicePay material, not questions used by either force. Details are as checked on 23 October 2026.