This document was retired in July 2021

The purpose of this document and standard is to detail the information requirements for the content of the digital case file to be transferred by forces to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

The Digital Case File (DCF) Data requirements document help to define the structured case information and case summary required by the CPS for a first hearing, including that which must be served on to the court, defence and self-represented defendant as Initial Details of the Prosecution Case (IDPC). It also to define the content and data structure of the DCF, as required by the CPS and provided by the police for a case summary listed for a first hearing in the Magistrates Court.

This includes:

• For all offences listed for a first hearing in the Magistrates Court by way of a charge sheet, summons or requisition.

• To be used post-charge following either a police charge or cps pre-charge advice decision.

• To be used for cases containing multiple defendants and offences.

• For both anticipated guilty and not-guilty pleas.

• For breach of bail (BoB) hearings.