'Secure power plants better against terrorism'

If terrorists forcibly trying to reach the nuclear reactors in Borssele or Petten, the monitoring should call armed reinforcement of the police or the army. Which can sometimes come too late, says include Professor Matthew Bunn, an authority in the field of nuclear safety at Harvard and in the 90s adviser to President Bill Clinton.

,, A unit can be slowed down remotely. Suppose attackers put something like sharp pins or mines on the route. Also apparent from testing in the US enemies already in 2 to 3 minutes at the vital parts can be a plant. Then you're too late if you have 10 minutes on the road. "

Bunn says that at least one team equipped with automatic rifles are needed on site to provide direct attackers with weapons similar resistance. ,, Terrorists have shown that they can have automatic weapons and explosives. It is unlikely that security guards with a gun that fires one bullet at a time match up against. "

Rarity
However, the Netherlands does not require the owner of a nuclear power plant for such armed protection site provides. This makes our country a rarity in the nuclear safety index of the renowned NGO Nuclear Threat Initiative, drawn up by international experts ahead of the Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) which begins in Washington on Thursday. The summit is a continuation of the NSS summit held in The Hague in 2014. More than fifty countries have been taking steps to prevent terrorist groups to lay hands on more nuclear material or sabotage a reactor.

NTI examined 45 countries with nuclear facilities that could be sabotaged. Only Argentina, Brazil, Slovakia and Spain confidence as the Netherlands armed security remotely, says Page Stoutland, one of the compilers of the index. Since 9/11 ,, the majority of countries there will no longer be dependent in the case that terrorists to take over the central try. "

,, In the Netherlands aim is that only the government bear arms, not the employees of a company that operates a nuclear power plant, "concludes Bunn. Belgium solves that with the establishment of a special police unit, relieving the troops in time. The cost borne by the energy companies that operate nuclear power plants.

security Peels
A spokeswoman for the nuclear power plant in Borssele acknowledges that no guards with machine guns standing outside the door. That does not mean that terrorists would be so inside, she stresses. ,, We have five security peels. Each shell is increasingly difficult to continue to come in. "NRG, which manages the nuclear reactor in Petten, does not comment on security.

The Ministry of Security and Justice claims to meet all international requirements for security. ,, Once there is real threat is directly discussed or other measures such as armed surveillance, are needed, "said spokesman Louis Hekking.

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