PFNDF Chair and Suffolk Police Federation Secretary, Ben Hudson, opened the final session by updating delegates on the significant progress made since the launch of the #SimplifyDG6 campaign, telling conference: “This is now the third time I have spoken at conference on this issue, so it is satisfying, on a professional and personal level, to report that we are steadily achieving our aims.”
He emphasised that the Federation had “listened to members’ concerns, acted on what they told us, and helped bring about reform” that would not only improve officers’ working lives but also support wider force efficiency. He thanked Surrey Chief Constable Tim De Meyer and Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson for joining the session, saying their willingness to speak “typifies the partnership approach that has enabled us to help drive change.”
Mr Hudson explained that the campaign began after the 2022 Attorney General’s Annual Review of Disclosure, which acknowledged shortcomings that left officers spending “at least four hours more on each case due to the redaction requirements,” with no single authoritative guidance to follow. The Federation therefore called on government to simplify data protection laws and on policing partners to establish national, face-to-face disclosure training.
The NPCC responded swiftly, issuing revised Joint Principles for Redaction, backed by legal advice and supported by both the CPS and senior policing leaders. These included new supporting guidance and updates to FAQs to promote “pragmatism” over rigid data-minimisation, covering issues such as occupations, dates of birth and vehicle registrations. The Federation then produced its own toolkit to help officers apply the revised rules.
Mr Hudson highlighted the momentum gained at Westminster, noting that MPs had supported proposals for a “data bubble” between policing and the CPS, a key ask mirrored in Jonathan Fisher KC’s independent review. That review also backed the Federation’s push for standardised, cross-agency disclosure training, including “a national learning standard” for new officers and a “senior disclosure officer accreditation pathway.”
Turning to current progress, Mr Hudson described the early successes of the proportionate file-building trials in Cheshire, Merseyside and Kent. Results have been striking in Cheshire, compliance hit 97.2 per cent within two months, saving 5,000 policing hours, with one sergeant calling the trial “an absolute dream.” In Kent, nearly 400 files were submitted in five weeks, delivering 37 per cent time savings, with hopes this will rise further. Officers there report that the pilot “will save days on file building and we are already seeing better engagement with victims.”
These improvements, Mr Hudson stressed, benefit “police officers, police forces, victims of crime who are seeing justice more quickly and also suspects who are not on bail for so long.” The pilots will shortly expand to Sussex and Surrey.
Mr Hudson closed by signalling the next step: “Perhaps what we really need is a total rewrite of DG6. Could DG7 be the answer?” before handing over to Chief Constable Tim De Meyer.
Surrey Chief Constable Tim De Meyer, the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for disclosure, began by stressing that disclosure is “the most important of all the criminal justice provisions,” where the right to a fair trial and the right to privacy must be balanced against the workloads and pressures placed on officers. He explained that years of joint work with the Federation had finally allowed policing to demonstrate the real impact of the 2020 disclosure provisions, which in turn helped “make the case for change.”
Mr De Meyer reflected on how the 2020 Attorney General’s Guidelines dramatically expanded pre-charge scheduling requirements, creating what he described as a “parasitic effect” where redaction absorbed vast amounts of officer time. Many officers, he noted, were spending “seven or eight hours of extra wasted effort” preparing cases for the CPS. In response, forces have introduced a new auto-text redaction framework, secured significant national funding for improved audio-visual redaction tools, and ensured that officers are no longer “fleeced at local prices” for technology. This, he said, means officers can “get on and do that thing, which only we can do, investigate crime.”
He then discussed improvements to the Investigation Management Document (IMD). A judge once told him that if officers could clearly demonstrate what they had done, and why, “we’ll back you.” The original, unwieldy IMD did not achieve this, contributing to past miscarriages of justice. It has now been redesigned by frontline practitioners, reduced from 11 pages to three, stripped of duplication, and shifted to post-charge so that it better reflects how investigations actually unfold. The new IMD, supported by a growing network of 60 disclosure champions, is expected to save considerable time and improve consistency.
The proportionate disclosure pilot, already successful in Merseyside and Cheshire, is now being expanded across the Southeast. Mr De Meyer said the pilot effectively restores more sensible, pre-2020 arrangements and removes unnecessary administrative burdens that had fed into the redaction cycle. Early evaluation shows it is “saving about seven hours per case,” which aligns with the extra workload officers had previously been forced to carry. If the Attorney General’s Office supports the outcomes, the approach could be rolled out nationally.
Finally, he highlighted major progress on third-party material requests, an area he described as sitting at the heart of balancing fair-trial rights with victim privacy. He noted the long-standing concern in rape and serious sexual assault cases: “Why are the police expected to go and find material related to the victim’s educational, medical or social history to see if she has a proclivity to lie?” Working with the Home Office, policing has now developed clearer guidance with defined assumptions about when such records should and should not be sought. The aim is to meet investigative obligations while reducing victim attrition and easing burdens on officers working in sensitive and demanding areas.
Mr De Meyer closed by summarising the collective impact of the reforms: “By changing the point at which schedules are completed, making more sensible the disclosure categories and introducing better text and media reduction, we will reduce victim attrition. Will unburden investigators, will remove the soul-destroying stress and wasteful effort, bring more cases to justice much faster, increase public confidence and ultimately cut crime.”
Last to speak during this session was Director of Public Prosecutions Stephen Parkinson who opened by thanking officers for their “vital work, under increasingly challenging circumstances,” noting that despite unprecedented pressure on the criminal justice system, “the Police Service continues to serve the public with dedication and utmost professionalism.” He emphasised the strongest level of cooperation he has seen in his career: “When I listen to you, you listen to me and that’s what’s happening across the police service.”
Mr Parkinson vindicated PFEW’s #SimplifyDG6 campaign while explaining that the CPS and the police service are working closely to reduce pressures and improve efficiency. He highlighted recent changes to DG6, noting that the CPS condensed “66 pages into an eight-page desktop guide,” which has received excellent feedback. This work is now moving further, with the forthcoming disclosure guidance, DG7, designed to “simplify and reduce the requirements that we make of you” so that cases move more quickly to charging and trial.
On redaction, he acknowledged it remains “a source of frustration,” and argued strongly that the burden must shift to the post-charge stage: “20 per cent of cases are NFA you’ve been doing all that redaction work on cases that are never prosecuted. That simply doesn’t make sense.” Early pilots in Merseyside and Cheshire show promising results, saving time for both police and CPS and returning charging decisions in domestic abuse cases “within nine days rather than 28.”
Mr Parkinson also highlighted the growing role of technology, particularly automated redaction tools, now being piloted or expanded across dozens of forces. He acknowledged the potential of AI to help summarise and manage vast quantities of digital evidence, though with humans always making the final decisions.
Reflecting on disclosure more broadly, an area he “has lived with throughout my career”, he stressed the need for a shared system across police, CPS and courts, and welcomed the alignment between organisations as major national reviews move forward.
Crucially, he emphasised the impact of improved collaboration. The national charging model, early advice, direct communication and clearer limits on action plans are already leading to “shorter, more focused investigations” and better file quality. He remarked wryly on modern communication habits: “You’re basically training people to have a conversation we’ve got to reacquaint our colleagues with the value of a direct conversation.”
He closed with a clear commitment: “This is the year of delivery.” Stephen invited the audience to hold him accountable next year, determined that the pilots and reforms now underway will translate into real, visible improvements for officers on the frontline and faster justice for victims.
