Cyclamen Programme

The threat of an attack using radiological and nuclear (RN) devices has consistently appeared in the National Risk Register, highlighting how these low-likelihood but catastrophically high-impact attack methods remain of concern to HMG. To mitigate these risks, the Home Office maintains a comprehensive RN detection capability for passenger and freight traffic at the border. This is known as the Cyclamen capability, which has been in operation since 2003. It is the UK’s primary defence against the illicit importation of RN materials and sits alongside wider detection and response capabilities that make up the UK’s domestic nuclear security system. Cyclamen is the UK's RN border detection sy…