Disclosure Manual: Chapter 19 – Operational debriefs
Plain-English digest of CPS prosecution guidance.
AI-generated summary — not verbatim. This is a plain-English digest, not the official CPS text. It may omit detail or fall out of date. Do not rely on it for a charging decision — read the full guidance on cps.gov.uk and check the current legislation.
This guidance outlines the procedures and requirements for disclosing information obtained during operational debriefs. It emphasizes the importance of recording debriefings for auditing purposes, ensuring that inconsistencies in witness accounts are documented, and adhering to the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 regarding the retention of debriefing materials.
Key points
- Debriefs must not occur until witness statements are completed when possible.
- Immediate debriefings can use pocketbook records for incident commanders.
- A full record of the debriefing must be maintained for auditing.
- Senior investigating officers may require all debrief material to be indexed.
- Inconsistencies between witness accounts should be documented for prosecutors.
- Debriefing details must be recorded on form MG6 and discrepancies on MG6E.
This is a factual digest of guidance published by the Crown Prosecution Service. Digested 2026-07-15. BlueLineHub is independent and not affiliated with the CPS.