National Security Programme

Inspired by this video by Tom Scott.

The National Security Programme (NSP) is a national law enforcement and security agency in the United Kingdom. The programme is best known for being staffed almost entirely by volunteers, who work three to four hour shifts four days a week. While the agency assists other law enforcement agencies in the UK to deter crime, domestic security and protection from domestic terrorist threats is its primary focus, as well as other crimes that are deemed "Critical threats against British society."

The programme was created in 2025 under the ministry of Aston Corwin following several high-death-toll attacks on London, Edinburgh, Sheffield, and Cardiff. The agency uses a database which includes the names and basic information of all persons living in the UK for at least one month. Volunteers scour through thousands of profiles, searching for suspicious activity. Depending on their clearance level, and the risk assessment of the person being surveiled, volunteers can have access to their internet browser history, financial records, travel records, information on extended relatives and so forth. If a volunteer deems there is a likely threat, they can choose 'escalate' that person to the who then investigates from there, usually requiring no more input from the reporting volunteer.

The programme has been controversial. Its critics oppose the use of volunteer workers as "unethical" and, as Brian Payne, editor of Blanstar Magazine put it, "Encouraging a culture of good-for-nothing busybodies examining our every move waiting to tattle on us." The NSP's cooperation with other states has also been the subject of scrutiny. As of 2030, the NSP shares information with over 46 countries, including the United States, Russia, and China, keeping tabs on potential risks going into, and coming out of, those countries. Furthermore, volunteers are not allowed to disclose their work to anyone as doing so results in immediate termination, which the programme's critics believe is eroding trust within UK society.