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There may be many reasons why a colleague may find themselves short of disposable income. Not all unexpected expenses are due to negative behaviour, although persistent monetary pressures may increase an individual’s security risk. According to a 2013 study by the UK’s Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CNPI), in 120 non-nuclear case studies analysed, ‘financial gain was the single most common primary motivation’, featuring in 47% of case studies.
This replicates findings from similar studies, including early research on potential threats to licenced nuclear facilities by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. According to the NRC, which used data from non-nuclear facilities, money-related motivations such as ‘greed, indebtedness or financial inducement’ accounted for 74% of thefts studied. In a similar study, the RAND Corporation found that in its analysis of comparable non-nuclear sites, financial gain was the primary motivation for insider threats and that, ‘Even in the incidents [studied] that actually involved terrorist groups… insiders assisted not only for reasons of ideological affinity or sympathy, but also because of promised monetary reward’.
Employees at nuclear sites are likewise susceptible to financial pressure and, as insiders, may have privileged access, authority and information to steal material. For example, in 1992 Leonid Smirnov stole approximately 1.5 kg of highly enriched uranium from the Luch Scientific Production Association in Russia over a protracted timeframe. During this time, the Russian Federation was under financial turmoil and staff working on state-run nuclear sites had not been paid for some time. Smirnov allegedly hoped to sell the material and buy a replacement fridge.
Similarly, in January 1979 David Learned Dale stole canisters of low enriched uranium powder from the General Electric nuclear plant in Wilmington, US, and attempted to blackmail his employer. He was later arrested and found guilty of stealing nuclear material and of extortion.
Financial pressures may also lead to negative employee behaviour such as a gambling addition, narcotics use, or other forms of unethical behaviour. These behaviours may impair judgement, or leave individuals open to forms of external pressure such as bribery or blackmail.
In most cases, however, it is not the responsibility of staff member or contractors to conduct their own investigation. Rather, it recommended that such incidents are reported to the organisation’s security or human resources team who can record the incident and investigate wider behaviours. Nuclear organisations should consider establishing human resources or security teams where matters can be reported in confidence, and where employees may seek direction for financial or medical assistance.
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