1. Police & Crime Commissioner comments
1.1 I welcome the findings of this report and the following sections set out how the Force are addressing the recommendations. I will monitor progress through my Office’s existing oversight mechanisms.
1.2 I have requested the Chief Constable’s view on the report, and he has stated:
“ This is a joint thematic inspection with His Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) and HMICFRS reviewing how the police and crown prosecution service (CPS) work together within the Criminal Justice System to build cases through investigation and prosecution.“
2. Response to Recommendations
2.1 Recommendation 5
2.2 By July 2026, police forces should have in place as part of their gatekeeping or comparable arrangements:
- an effective governance and decision-making capability to ensure investigations are timely and completed to the appropriate standards
- agreed contact arrangements in place in forces and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) Areas to facilitate clear, consistent, and transparent communication between police and CPS
- sufficient, trained, and competent decision-makers
- effective and efficient systems and processes to manage case file submission queues, to avoid unnecessary delays and risks to cases subject to statutory time limits.
2.3 The Falcon Investigations Standard Board, led by Surrey’s Head of Crime, is the primary means of governance for investigation improvement with monthly meetings attended by accountable and responsible senior officers.
2.4 The Falcon programme has introduced a clear and robust crime management structure including supervisor and manager/Inspector review processes to support timely and effective decision making and specific focus areas for training and progression including prompt arrest of outstanding suspects, swift evidence gathering, pursuing reasonable lines of enquiry and increasing solved outcomes. Significant data improvements allow these and other factors to be measured and visible to every member of the force within a Crime Investigation Portal (CIP) and subsequent Investigation Quality Audits report on progress.
2.5 The CIP, launched in Jan 25, is succeeding in improving the way workloads are allocated, monitored and balanced. The latter reflecting an increasingly inexperienced investigative workforce tasked with addressing traditionally low levels of solved crime head-on. Audits measure investigation quality and pursuit of reasonable lines of enquiries, grading as good, outstanding, adequate and above or inadequate.
2.6 An Investigation Standards trainer role supports the Falcon programme of improvements and continuous professional development, additional to central L&PD provision.
2.7 Microsoft Teams channels are used to facilitate real time discussions between Surrey Police CJ Prosecutions Team and the CPS in relation to both red (remand) and green charging pathways and associated case files. These are primarily used to ensure case content according to the National Case File Standard is transmitted to and received by CPS and rapidly address any deficiencies to avoid a case action plan and expedite charge.
2.8 Real Time Case Conversations (RTCC) have commenced in the South-East region from 1st July 2025. The Microsoft Teams-based case conference is initiated by the CPS lawyer in the following pre-charge circumstances.
- All Domestic Abuse cases (Mags and Crown) when required.
- All cases where a 2nd action plan has been issued, and a 3rd is likely.
- Complex cases.
2.9 There is potential and willingness on behalf of CPS to expand this to post-charge cases after a reasonable evaluation period.
2.10 A Surrey Police & CPS escalation process allows non-completion of post charge action plans to be raised proportionally between the organisations. Administered via a central email address and the Surrey Police CJ Prosecutions team leaders, these can, if repeatedly unresolved, reach Stage 4- Assistant Chief Constable and Chief Crown Prosecutor level for intervention.
2.11 Effective professional relationships between senior police leaders and CPS South East equivalents are evident in daily trouble-shooting conversations and formal meetings with a focus on understanding perspectives, requirements and supporting excellence (JOIM, Cracked and Ineffective Trials meeting, Out of Court Disposal review, Real Time Case Conference review, Area Disclosure Forum, Joint Tactical Disclosure working group, Domestic Abuse Joint Justice Plan etc).
2.12 By November 2025, Surrey Police will be participating in a South-East regional Proportionate File Build pilot that will positively impact the time and content required for all cases suitable for summary trial (SST). The primary change is the removal of the pre-loading of disclosure schedules (MG6 series) within a pre-charge file. This has been delayed by 2 months so that it can reap the benefits of anticipated national changes to rebuttable presumption (RP) material disclosed by police to the CPS and related redaction requirements. Otherwise, the same lengthy case file build requirements would purely by moved to post-charge.
2.13 In August 2026, the Digital Case File (DCF) will also improve the timeliness and initial accuracy of case file building, placing less emphasis on rectification by the force Case Review Team (CRT). Currently only 25-30% of Not-guilty Anticipated Plea files are forwarded to the CPS for a charging decision upon the first submission. However notable improvement has been made reducing the number of occasions a file is returned to the Officer in the Case for such corrections. The queues for quality assurance with police charged, postal requisition, GAP and NGAP cases are performance monitored monthly with additional Criminal Justice team resources flexed to support demand. DCF is also anticipated to overcome an inefficiency in the Niche case file tasking and workflow process this is otherwise difficult to prioritise within a large central workload.
2.14 The involvement of the CRT is anticipated to still be required in the future to (a) ensure case files meet the national standard and (b) support investigators to develop their understanding of DG6 and AG Guidelines for disclosure as subject matter experts. A QA provision is a requirement of DG6. However, improvements in the quality of first submissions and less material requiring review will increase the CRT capacity to oversee larger numbers of case files. The force ambition remains to increase both charged outcomes and appropriate out of court resolutions on an annual basis as the product of more effective investigations.
2.15 Meeting the demands of both Statutory and Custody Time Limits (STL and CTL) is a force monitored risk, exacerbated by demand (more effective investigations and drive for solved outcomes), recent changes to CPS charging guidance and increased remands in custody within Surrey. Controls including the Crime Management Framework, data sharing with CPS and analysis of reasons for 11th hour submissions, pursuing accurate Niche flagging mechanisms and investigator awareness training. The ‘More in Four’ campaign promotes the completion of all summary investigations within 4 months. STL cases submitted to the CRT are identified and prioritised so justice for victims is not lost. CPS teams will do similar to support, outside of the 28-day review timeframe/SLA.
2.16 A key support role within Surrey Police CJ Prosecutions is that of the caseworker who facilitates the transmission of case file material to and from the CPS via the two-way interface. It is a core element of our consistently high standard of green case triage and supports investigators who do not have such technical expertise. All the mandated and optional case content for Green cases- those non-urgent, non-remand cases- is submitted to CPS in this way and seen to be received by CPS. Otherwise, such files could immediately be rejected and require re-submission if one document is absent or otherwise fails to send.
2.17 Recommendation 7
2.18 Within 12 months of the completion of recommendation 6, police forces should ensure that every supervisor responsible for assessing case files prior to referral to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision is trained in case file building and Director’s Guidance on Charging (6th edition) (DG6) quality assurance.
2.19 Within Surrey Police the investigator’s Supervisor has primary responsibility for the authorisation of submission of a case file and accompanying request for charges. Alternatively, where the evidential test is not met, they must also promptly NFA that case.
2.20 Evidential Reviewers from the CRT deliver input within the force Investigative Supervisors Management Programme (ISMP- for all Detective Sergeants and Detective Inspectors). Relaying current expertise, they provide specific learning on decision making, strategies and case file content as per DG6 with feedback from delegates describing it as excellent.
2.21 In a similar vein, online training has been provided by the CRT to Sergeants force wide to provide an enhanced understanding of the DG6 and application within charging decisions and national case file standards.
2.22 The knowledge is required at the earliest stage of an investigators career. The Initial PC Development Programmes (PIP1 Foundation training), Police Staff Investigating Officers courses and Detectives Development Programme all have similar modules. The Case Review Team provide refresher and ad hoc support to any member of the force requiring it.
2.23 Comprehensive guidance and learning materials accessible to all staff members are held within the Surrey Criminal Justice Guidance Hub. The MyCJ Power App methodically takes viewers through a decision-making process relating to the correct file type and then contents. This was introduced across both Surrey and Sussex in 2024, gaining thousands of uses.
2.24 Recommendation 9
2.25 By July 2026, the police and Crown Prosecution Service at Joint Operational Improvement Meetings should develop a joint local training plan to increase awareness and understanding of each other’s roles, including the operation of IT systems.
2.26 The HMIC report and Rec 9 will be discussed between Police CJ and CPS senior managers with a view to presenting a joint agenda item on this Rec during the Surrey JOIM, 2nd September 2025.
2.27 Joint training is undertaken, however not regularly. This has covered topics such as Res Gestae/Hearsay evidence; Rape and Serious Sexual Offence investigation; knife, bladed article and offensive weapon crime; and Disclosure.
2.28 It is to be noted that the national Digital Case File is due to be launched in Surrey in August 2026 and it is anticipated a national training package (with local Niche CMS nuance) for both police and CPS will have been launched and widely completed across both organisations by the given deadline of July.
2.29 This introduction provides an ideal and timely opportunity to review the need for and content of the checklists and aide memoires currently in use within Surrey.
Lisa Townsend
Police and Crime Commissioner