Free during beta. No card needed.
Custody Note
Write up the attendance while you're still at the station.
The note follows the attendance in order: disclosure, consultation, interview, outcome, with sections set out for PACE work. It works without Wi‑Fi. For criminal defence solicitors and accredited reps in England and Wales. Free during beta, and you don't need a card.
Can't use the Microsoft Store? Download the installer directly
Windows: install from the Microsoft Store (UK). If the Store's blocked, there's a Setup.exe on the Download page. Mac (macOS 11+, Apple Silicon or Intel): a notarised .dmg from this site, not the Mac App Store. Published by Defence Legal Services Ltd.
Windows
On the Microsoft Store (UK) now.
Mac
Download the .dmg from this site (it's not on the Mac App Store).
Works offline
Plenty of custody suites have no signal. You can keep writing anyway.
Free during beta
No card needed. Published by Defence Legal Services Ltd.
The custody desk won't wait for your note
Disclosure comes in bits. The client's worried. The interview's already booked, and you're still writing half-sentences on a pad.
No time
Disclosure and instructions come first, so the note gets left until later. Often that means after midnight.
Messy notes
Half a disclosure and a vague interview summary are no use to the file, to counsel or to an LAA auditor.
Missing detail
When the case comes back months later, you'll need the bail conditions, the RUI terms and what was actually said in interview.
Typing it all again
With dictation, a Word template or a general note app you end up retyping the same facts or relying on memory.
Still writing attendance notes at 2am? If you fill in the sections as you go, there's far less to write up afterwards.
One record, from the custody desk to sign-out
Instead of handwritten scraps and Word files that never quite match, you keep one record from the custody desk to sign-out: disclosure, client instructions, PACE interview, and bail, RUI, charge, or NFA. There are sections for PACE custody, voluntary interviews and telephone advice, with prompts as you go. For criminal solicitors and accredited reps in England and Wales.
Still writing custody notes manually?
- Structured PACE notes
- Works offline
- Instant PDF output
What it does differently
In the order the attendance happens
Disclosure, advice, interview, outcome. The note follows the same order as the attendance, so it's easier to keep track of what's done between the custody suite and the file.
Headings for police station work
Disclosure, client instructions, interview summary, and bail, RUI or charge. The headings are the ones you'd use for a PACE attendance.
Faster handover to file and billing
Export to PDF and fill in fields set out for LAA billing. Every attendance comes out in the same format, whether it's duty, own client or rep work.
Why not Word, dictation, or a generic note app?
A blank page or a general task list doesn't know what a police station attendance looks like. Custody Note does.
| Approach | Limitation | Custody Note |
|---|---|---|
| Word templates | It doesn't change. You still put each section together under pressure, and it's easy to skip a heading. | Sections that follow a PACE attendance, and the same layout every time. |
| Dictation | Slow to turn round, with transcription errors in names, dates and bail conditions. | You fill in the fields at the station and export when you're ready. |
| Generic note apps | No idea of disclosure, interview or custody outcome, and often cloud-only. | Works offline, with sections for disclosure, instructions, interview and outcome. |
The same attendance, written up two ways
Scribbled notes on one side. On the other, one record you can file and bill from.
Before
Handwritten scraps and mismatched Word files, with details lost under pressure.
With Custody Note
One record, with the PDF and billing fields in the same place.
Inside the app
Your records, the note itself and the export.
Who it's for
Sole practitioners, freelance reps and larger crime teams all use the same sections.
Criminal defence professionals
Criminal defence solicitors, including those on the duty rota, who need a proper note after every police station attendance.
Accredited reps
Police station representatives working under supervision, who need to write quickly without leaving things out.
Defence firms
Crime teams that want every fee earner's attendance notes, billing handover and PDFs to look the same.
Before vs after
Paper and general note apps compared with Custody Note, which works offline.
| Area | Before | With Custody Note |
|---|---|---|
| Note capture | Scattered Word files, inconsistent headings | Structured sections for custody / voluntary / telephone |
| Connectivity | Cloud-only tools fail when the station Wi‑Fi drops | Works without internet |
| Handover | Retyping the same facts for billing and firm file | PDF export and billing fields in one place |
| Security | Plain-text notes on disk | AES-256 encrypted local database; optional UK-region backup |
From the custody desk to the outcome
From the custody desk and disclosure slot through client instructions, PACE interview, and bail or charge outcomes.
A desktop app that works offline
It keeps working in the custody suite when the Wi‑Fi goes. Local AES-256 encryption is included in the free beta.
Set out around PACE
Custody, voluntary and telephone attendances, with sections in the order the work happens in England and Wales.
Windows Store (UK) and Mac .dmg
Microsoft Store (UK): available now, Windows only. The Mac version is a notarised download from this site. It isn't on the Mac App Store.
Published by Defence Legal Services Ltd
Trading as Police Station Agent. This is software for practitioners. We aren't a law firm and the app doesn't give legal advice.
Custody Note is developed by Defence Legal Services Ltd (trading as Police Station Agent), a company whose work is police station representation.
How it works
Three steps from the first call to a note you can hand over.
- 1
Enter key details
Client, station, allegation and attendance type. The fields prompt you as you go.
- 2
Fill in the note
Work through the custody, voluntary or telephone sections, which are set out around PACE.
- 3
Export or save
A PDF for the firm file, then billing and time recording when you're ready. It all comes from the same record.
A typical attendance
You take the instruction, attend, write the note, send the PDF to the firm and prepare the bill. You don't have to type the same facts into five different places.
- 1Open or create a record for the custody or voluntary interview.
- 2Work through each section. It works offline if it needs to.
- 3Export a PDF for the firm file or for peer review.
- 4Use the billing and time recording to help with your LAA claim.
What's in the app
Each feature is there because police station work needs it.
Custody, Voluntary & Telephone
A form for each attendance type, set out around PACE, with guidance for each section.
Works Offline
Plenty of police stations have no internet. Your notes save on your computer and work without internet. It's free during beta. Sign in with your email to sync your notes across up to 5 computers. Notes are encrypted on your computer before upload.
PDF & Billing
Export attendance notes as PDF. Billing fields set out for LAA claims, QuickFile invoicing and disbursement tracking.
Encrypted locally
AES-256 local encryption and local backup. It's free during beta. Sign in with your email to sync your notes across up to 5 computers. Notes are encrypted on your computer before upload. Managed cloud backup is planned for Pro after beta.
Quick Capture & Email
Log incoming calls as they come in. Officer Emails gives you 16 templates for disclosure, chasing bail, RUI, custody logs and follow-ups, and opens them in Outlook Web.
Firms, Reports & Authorities
Firm tracking, monthly reports and authority documents are planned for Pro after beta. The free beta covers the core attendance notes.
About the product
About Custody Note
What is Custody Note?
Custody Note is a digital note-taking and workflow tool for criminal defence professionals. It helps structure police station attendance notes, disclosure summaries, client instructions, advice, interview notes and follow-up actions.
Who is Custody Note for?
Custody Note is for criminal defence solicitors, accredited police station representatives, litigators and legal teams doing police station and pre-charge work in England and Wales.
What Custody Note doesn't do
Custody Note doesn't provide legal advice, replace professional judgment, create a solicitor-client relationship or guarantee compliance with professional obligations. It doesn't record or transcribe interviews. It's a tool for taking structured notes and keeping track of the work that follows.
Free police station attendance note template (UK)
It uses the usual section order: attendance, disclosure, advice, interview, outcome. Use it in Word or your case system. Enter your details below and we'll email it to you. If you'd rather not type it all out, try the free generator or download Custody Note for the full sections, PDF export and billing.
Or move to Custody Note for structured notes, offline working and PDF export.
Guides for criminal defence practitioners
Latest from Custody Note Blog
More on the blogCourt attendance notes vs police station attendance notes: what changes
How magistrates court attendance notes differ from police station notes: content, billing evidence, and what to carry over from the custody file.
Interview recordings and the attendance note: what to write when the interview is recorded
The police recording is not your file. What to capture in the attendance note during a recorded interview, and why transcripts don't replace it.
Urgent interviews under Code C 11.1 and 11.18: recording them properly
When police can interview urgently without the usual safeguards, and the details your attendance note should capture to challenge it later.
Get Custody Note for Windows and Mac, free during beta
On Windows, install it from the Microsoft Store (UK). On a Mac, download the notarised .dmg (Apple Silicon or Intel). Runs on Windows and Mac (macOS 11+, Apple Silicon & Intel). Custody Note is free while it's in beta. Paid Pro features may come later; anyone using it during beta will get notice first. You can't buy Pro yet. You don't need a credit card.
Can't use the Microsoft Store? Download the installer directly
The Windows version is on the Microsoft Store (UK). The Mac version isn't on the Mac App Store. If you can't use the Store, the Windows Setup.exe backup is on the Download page.