What Must Be Included in Attendance Notes: The Definitive Checklist
A section-by-section checklist of what should appear in every police station attendance note. Use it as a quality-control reference before you close any record.
For the complete guide, see Police Station Attendance Notes (UK Guide).
1. Case identifiers
- Client full name
- Date of birth
- Custody record number (or police reference for voluntary)
- DSCC reference number
- Instructing solicitor / firm and fee earner reference
- Police station name
- Date of attendance
- Alleged offence(s) with statutory reference
The DSCC reference links to your LAA claim. The custody record links to the custody officer's log. The fee earner reference ensures the billing team can match the note to the matter.
2. Notification and arrival
- Time instruction received
- Source of instruction (DSCC, own client, firm)
- Time departed for station
- Time arrived at station
- Time booked in with custody officer or front desk
Establishes the travel and waiting timeline for billing. Arrival time marks the start of your presence at the station.
3. Disclosure
- Name and rank of officer providing disclosure
- Specific facts disclosed (not just “disclosure given”)
- Evidence mentioned but not provided
- Evidence explicitly withheld
- Format of disclosure (oral, written summary, shown documents)
- Your sufficiency assessment
This is the most commonly under-recorded section. Your disclosure note is critical if the case goes to trial and the prosecution relies on evidence not disclosed at the police station stage.
4. Consultation
- Start and end times
- How you explained the allegation and evidence to the client
- Options discussed (no comment / prepared statement / full account)
- Client's decision and reasons
- Risks flagged
- Vulnerabilities: mental health, learning difficulty, intoxication, language, fitness to be interviewed
- Whether appropriate adult or interpreter was requested
- Whether the client appeared fit to be interviewed
5. Prepared statement (if used)
- Confirmation that statement was drafted from client's instructions
- Confirmation that client reviewed and approved
- Summary of the position set out (or reference to attached copy)
6. Interview
- Start and end times
- Names of interviewing officers
- Recording method (audio / video)
- Key areas of questioning
- Client's responses or confirmation of no-comment approach
- Objections and representations made by you
- Breaks taken (with times)
- Concerns about interview conduct
For detailed guidance on this section, see Police Station Interview Notes Best Practice.
7. Outcome and next steps
- Outcome: NFA, charge, pre-charge bail (s.47ZA), RUI, further detention
- If charged: offence(s), court date, bail conditions
- If bailed or RUI: conditions, return date
- Post-interview advice to client
- Follow-up actions and diary dates
8. Time summary
- Travel time (to and from station)
- Waiting time
- Consultation time
- Interview attendance time
- Post-interview / admin time
- Total attendance time
For how this feeds into your LAA claim, see Attendance Notes for Legal Aid Billing.
9. LAA billing fields (where applicable)
- Claim type and fee code
- Fixed fee or escape fee indicator
- Disbursements (interpreter, mileage, other)
- Notes supporting the CRM narrative
Additional sections for custody attendances
- Detention review times and any representations
- Whether s.56 (someone informed) and s.58 (legal advice) rights were exercised, delayed, or waived
- Appropriate adult involvement
- Medical attention requested or provided
- Extensions of detention
Use this checklist every time
Print this page and keep it with your working materials, or use software that builds the checklist into the workflow. CustodyNote includes every section above as guided fields — so nothing is skipped, even at 3am in a busy custody suite.
Every section above, built into guided fields.
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