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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.

The Digital Case File national programme has established standards for how a case file is built and sent to the Crown Prosecution Service through collaboration with suppliers and police forces. 

This programme works with a number of organisations, such as the CPS, law enforcement agencies and suppliers to produce a set of standards, which suppliers can then use to produce compatible solutions, allowing law enforcement agencies to send case files digitally to CPS . This is the national standard required for any technical digital case file solution.

This DCF programme is being implemented in police forces now and the attached documents liable to be updated as it progresses.

The National Standards Assurance Board notes that the branding is CGI on the standards as this is reflective of their work in writing them, but this has been in partnership with policing who own and continue to contribute towards them.

National Policing will maintain public trust by securing our data and by applying a consistent, proportional approach to technology risk across policing. The National Policing Digital Strategy 2030 is built upon the 2025 Policing Vision to provide the foundations for Policing to deliver the National Digital Strategic objectives. In the future we will exchange more data and information with partners, adopt new connected technologies and move to cloud-based infrastructures. The move to a more open ecosystem cannot be at the expense of information security. This framework defines the holistic approach to information and technology risks by aligning to Government Security standards, guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and industry best practice. The National Policing Community Security Policy Framework supports a proportionate baseline standard of cyber security for National Policing to deliver its operational and strategic objectives. As the cyber threat landscape facing the UK Police forces continues to evolve, so must the means by which forces maintain their security posture. The purpose of the National Policing Community Security Policy Framework is to provide the structure for information security for National Policing, suppliers, and partners to carry out their services securely. The National Policing Community Security Policy Framework, this document, will be referred to as the ‘Framework’ throughout this document. The scope of the ‘Framework’ applies to both this document and the supporting National Policing Information Security Policy and National Policing Information Security Principles that underpin the framework. Membership of the established ‘Community of Trust’ built under the original Community Security Policy, which is replaced by this framework and its supporting policy and principles, now requires alignment to this framework and its underlying policy and principles.

National Policing will maintain public trust by securing our data and by applying a consistent, proportional approach to technology risk across policing. The Community Security Policy (CSP) is an integral part of the Community Security Policy Framework and combined with Community Security Principles and the supporting standards, control objectives and other supporting documentation will help policing maintain public trust in its management of information assets. This Policy should be read in conjunction with the National Policing Community Security Policy (CSP) Framework, and Community Security Principles with which this policy is aligned. The audience, scope, objectives, governance and exception process for this policy are defined by the National Policing Community Security Policy Framework, which can be found in Knowledge Hub. For clarity this policy has been approved by the Police Information Assurance Board (PIAB) and applies to all members of the ‘Community of Trust’ as defined by the National Policing Community Security Policy Framework, and any suppliers and partners that have access to, store and/or process Police information, to provide services to Policing. This policy has taken into consideration and is aligned with industry best practice, which includes ISO/IEC 27002:2022, CIS Controls v8 (Center for Information Security), NIST Cyber Security Framework, CSA Cloud Controls Matrix v4 (Cloud Security Alliance) and NCSC 10 Steps to Cyber Security.

Principles are general rules and guidelines, intended to be enduring and seldom amended, that inform and support and prioritise the way in which National Policing decides which ideas, initiatives and/or opportunities are to be progressed (and warrant investment) and those that are not. These principles are a fundamental part of the National Policing Community Security Policy Framework and provide a foundation upon which a more consistent and structured approach to the design, development, and implementation of information security capabilities can be assembled. The primary focus of these principles is to provide the starting point for, setting the policy, standards and control objectives, which support the Community Security Policy Framework. The audience, scope, objectives, and governance for these principles are defined by the National Policing Community Security Policy Framework, which can be found on Knowledge Hub. For clarity these principles are approved by the Police Information Assurance Board (PIAB) and apply to all members of the ‘Community of Trust’ as defined by the National Policing Community Security Policy Framework, and any suppliers and partners that have access to, store and/or process Police information, to provide services to Policing.

This framework defines the holistic approach to information and technology risks by aligning to Government Security standards, guidance from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and industry best practice. The National Policing Community Security Policy Framework supports a proportionate baseline standard of cyber security for National Policing to deliver its operational and strategic objectives. As the cyber threat landscape facing the UK Police forces continues to evolve, so must the means by which forces maintain their security posture. The purpose of the National Policing Community Security Policy Framework is to provide the structure for information security for National Policing, suppliers, and partners to carry out their services securely.