P2-56 Response Accepted Self-assessed

Clarify casualty bureau purpose and limitations

Recommendation

That what in the past has been called by the police a 'casualty bureau' be described in a way that makes it clear that it does not provide information to the public about people affected by the emergency. (113.78)

Published Evidence Summary
The following publicly available evidence relates to this recommendation:
The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) accepted this recommendation and has updated the standard operating procedures for the casualty bureau (Official government response, 26 February 2025). The NPCC has also worked with force communication leads to clearly describe the functions of the casualty bureau, even though its name remains unchanged (Gov.uk progress update, 1 February 2026).
How was this assessed?
Assessed by gemini-2.5-flash on 24 Mar 2026
Checked data held on this site (government responses, progress updates, independent evidence)
External sources searched: www.gov.uk, www.legislation.gov.uk, hansard.parliament.uk
Jurisdiction
England
Response
Accepted
Accepted National Police Chiefs Council
26 Feb 2025

The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) accepts this recommendation. The NPCC has been working to discharge a similar recommendation made in 2018 by the Kerslake independent review of the Manchester Arena bombing. It has updated the standard operating procedures for the casualty bureau and will continue to assure delivery against them. Although the casualty bureau will continue to be known as such, the NPCC has worked with force communication leads on how to clearly describe the functions of a casualty bureau and is working with local government to ensure that communications in the event of a critical incident are clear to the public. The recommendation has been fully discharged.

Read Full Response
Progress Timeline
Official Report
01 Feb 2026

The National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) has updated the standard operating procedures for the casualty bureau and will continue to assure delivery against them. Although the casualty bureau will continue to be known as such, the NPCC has worked with force communication leads on how to clearly describe the functions of a casualty bureau and is working with local government to ensure that communications in the event of a critical incident are clear to the public. The recommendation has been fully discharged.

Source
Report Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2 Report 04 Sep 2024
Responsible Bodies
National Police Chiefs Council Primary
Recommendation age 1.5 yrs
Last formal update 01 Feb 2026