## 

# Operational Selection Policy Osp29 Metropolitan Police Service

RECORDS CREATED BY THE MPS 
 AND RECORDS RELATED TO THE MPS  
CREATED BY THE HOME OFFICE 

## Contents

 
1.  
Authority 
 
2.  
Scope 3.  
Responsibilities 
 
Home Office 
 
Metropolitan Police 
 
4.  
Form of the records 
 
Home Office records 
 
Metropolitan Police records 5.  
Selection and disposition criteria 
 
Home Office 
 
Metropolitan Police 6. 
 Implementation ANNEX A 
MPS central registry file series ANNEX B 
Selection and disposition by theme ANNEX C  
Selection criteria by The National Archives series (Departmental 
code: MEPO) 
 

## 1 Authority

 1.1 The National Archives announced in its Acquisition and Disposition Policy 
Statement the intention of developing Operational Selection Policies across 
government. These apply the collection themes described in the overall policy 
to the records of individual departments and agencies subject to the Public Records Acts. 1.2 This Operational Selection Policy differs from others in that it covers both public 
records and non-public records, and relates to selection for The National Archives of a type of record which the Acquisition and Disposition Policy would appear to allocate to a local authority record office. The Policy is intended to:  
- Ensure the continuing growth and quality of an archive which constitutes a 
key resource for police history and a significant source for history of the capital and therefore also of the nation 
- Clarify the disposition of records between The National Archives1, the 
Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) historical store and the local authority record office (the London Metropolitan Archive) 
- Provide the guidelines on historical value for MPS to use in drawing up 
revised disposal schedules 1.3 The Home Secretary was police authority for the MPS until 2001 and the 
service was therefore subject to the Public Records Acts 1958 and 1967 by inclusion in the original schedule to the 1958 Act as a body under the Home Office. With the establishment of the Metropolitan Policy Authority, the MPS ceased to be subject to the Public Records Acts.  It is standard practice for the records of police authorities and constabularies to be deposited at the local 
authority record office. However in view of the large collection of MPS records already held by The National Archives and their close relationship with the records of the Home Office, it was agreed between the MPS, The National Archives and the London Metropolitan Archive that MPS would continue to 
deposit its records at The National Archives. 1.4 This Operational Selection Policy suggests that a few of the records currently 
held by the MPS historical store should be reconsidered for preservation at The National Archives, and that all records not then selected for The National Archives should be formally presented to the MPS under s(3)(6) of the Public 
Records Act. This will enable the MPS to hold records for operational use or display purposes without the need for repeated applications for authority to retain them under s3(4) of the Public Records Act. 1.5 Operational Selection Policies are intended to be working tools, providing clear 
direction for those who are making review decisions. They may therefore be 
revised at any time in the light of comments from record users or archive professionals or the experience of the organisation using the policy or as a 
result of newly discovered information or the creation of a new record type or series. There is no formal cycle of review and comments are welcome at any time. The extent of any review or revision exercise will be determined according to the nature of the comments received. 

 
1.6 If you have any comments upon this policy, please e-mail recordsmanagement@nationalarchives.gov.uk or write to: Acquisition and Disposition Policy Manager The National Archives Kew, Richmond Surrey 
TW9 4DU 1.7 Operational Selection Policies do not provide guidance on access to the records 
selected for permanent preservation. 

## 2 Scope

 2.1 This policy relates to all existing and future administrative and operational 
records of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and to the records of the Home Office as police authority for the Metropolitan Police until 2001. 2.2 Home Office records relating to wider government policy on policing will be 
covered by a separate Operational Selection Policy. Records of specialist police forces and investigative bodies will be covered by Policies relating to the responsible departments. 2.3 Records of the Metropolitan Police Authority are not public records and fall 
outside the scope of The National Archives Acquisition Policy. 2.4 Records of police services other than the Metropolitan Police are not and have 
never been public records and fall outside the scope of The National Archives 
Acquisition Policy.  

## 3 Responsibilities Home Office

 
3.1 The Home Secretary as police authority had responsibility for the funding, 
management and performance of the MPS.  All other police services were responsible to a local police authority. The MPS position was increasingly seen as an anomaly but one which could not be addressed in the absence of a metropolitan level of local government. In order to introduce a comparable arrangement without changing the legal relationship between himself and the 
MPS, the Home Secretary set up the Metropolitan Police Committee in 1995 to act as a form of police authority. The local government reform of 2001 allowed 
the Metropolitan Police Authority to be established and the MPS to be brought in line with the rest of the country.  

 3.2 Until 1995 the police authority role was exercised primarily through the Home 
Office police department. 3.3 The relationship between the Home Office and Special Branch was 
administered by the police department until 1995 when the Organised and International Crime Directorate (OICD) was established with responsibility for matters relating to criminal intelligence, prevention of terrorism and investigation of organised crime.  
 
Metropolitan Police 3.4 The primary purpose of the MPS is to provide operational policing services to 
the metropolitan area excluding that covered by the City of London police. As a 
result of its close relationship with the Home Office, its size and its role in 
policing the capital, it has also played a leading role in the development of policing methods generally, the investigation of major crimes nationally and internationally, the provision of operational support to the intelligence agencies and national common services for the police.  

## 4 Form Of The Records Home Office Records

 
4.1 Home Office records are registered into file series identified by letter codes 
(known as 'symbols') which relate broadly to functions and subject areas. Records of the police departments from approximately 1949 were registered into the POL series. The records of the Metropolitan Police Committee were registered into their own MPC series. The records of OICD are held and registered locally by the unit. 4.2 Until the mid-1990s all Home Office registered file series were subject to file-byfile review five years after opening and twenty-five years after closing. The majority of files were either destroyed at first review or were earmarked for destruction without further examination after periods of between five and fifteen years. This approach has been replaced gradually by destruction under schedule of series or sub-sets within series. POL files up to 1974 have been reviewed and have been transferred to The National Archives (Series HO 281). Disposal schedules have been implemented for routine and minor sub-sets of the series, and the intention is to revise and tighten these schedules as computerised registry and retrieval systems allow for increasingly accurate estimates of business use. File-by-file review will continue for sub-sets identified as likely to contain records of historical value. 4.3 Files of the Metropolitan Police Committee have been subject to an initial 
weeding and await final review. 4.4 Files held by units of OICD have been subject to ad-hoc review. Work is in hand 
to introduce scheduling and regular review into these units. Metropolitan Police records 
 
4.5 Police records may be divided into corporate and local, corresponding broadly 
to registered and unregistered. 4.6 Records of corporate value are centrally controlled by registration into the 
paper-based file scheme (see Annex A for file plan).  Most files are subject to a file-by-file review with the first review carried out up to 10 years from the date of 
opening (depending upon the subject matter) and a second review twenty-five years after opening.  Files retained at first review for purely operational reasons are periodically re-reviewed until no longer required. 4.7 Records of value only at the level of station, borough or specialist unit may be 
registered into local schemes but most are unregistered and are subject to disposal schedules based on document type (e.g. overtime claim forms, prisoners' property log, aliens' registration cards). 4.8 Schedules for all types of records have been revised in the light of the Freedom 
of Information Act 2000, clearer definitions of business need, and the development of national disposal guidelines for police records. 4.9 Paper-based crime report records held at station level have now been replaced 
by the corporate computer system for crime records - CRIS - which contains data on all reported crimes. Introduced initially in two boroughs in 1996, CRIS was rolled out to all boroughs in 2000.  The disposal schedule for CRIS has yet to be established. 4.10 In addition to its local responsibilities, MPS also provides the common service 
support for the Police National Computer and, at one time, provided the coordinating office for Interpol in the UK. Administrative records of these common service units tend to be incorporated into the appropriate main file series while casework is held in a separate series. The data or casework records held by these units are not regarded as public records although the administrative records are. 4.11 With the exception of files dated 1955-1975 held in Special Branch, all MPS 
records created up to 1975 have already been reviewed. Records which were not selected for preservation at The National Archives were either destroyed, retained for continuing operational use or passed to the historical store. 

## 5 Selection And Disposition Criteria

 
5.1 The following guidelines are intended to indicate the principles on which 
selection will be made and records allocated to The National Archives or the 
MPS historical store.  The intention is to hold at The National Archives those records which will be of interest to researchers from a range of disciplines while the store holds those which provide information on its collection of artefacts and memorabilia. The historical store will also hold staff records which are no longer required for administrative purposes but which cannot yet be made available to the public for reasons of confidentiality. The MPS will continue to respond to researcher's requests for information from these records.  

 5.2 Published estimates, accounts and reports from the Home Office, MPS, 
Treasury and Metropolitan Police Authority provide the broad framework within which the selected records should be viewed. 

## Home Office

 5.3 It is assumed that the primary source for history of the MPS will be the records 
of the MPS itself. Where Home Office files merely give formal approval to or acknowledge MPS initiatives, they will be destroyed. All files not selected for 
permanent preservation at The National Archives will be destroyed as soon as 
no longer required for business purposes. 5.4 Home Office reviewers will select for preservation files which contain: 
ƒ Papers relating to the appointment or dismissal of the Commissioner of 
the Metropolitan Police but not those relating to the appointment of 
subordinate officers unless they reveal a major dispute between the department and the MPS 
ƒ Correspondence and minutes of meetings between the Home Secretary 
and the Commissioner, except where this relates to matters of routine adequately documented by e.g. a published statutory instrument, warrant for appointment or report 
ƒ A full set of the minutes and papers of the Metropolitan Police 
Committee  
ƒ Minutes and papers of other committees and meetings relating to the 
Metropolitan Police if they were chaired by a senior Home Office official 
ƒ Home Office views on senior staff, administrative procedures or 
operational performance of the Metropolitan Police where it is not evident these were fully conveyed to the MPS and where they indicate divergence of aims or views within the Home Office or between the Home Office and the MPS  
ƒ MPS views on administrative and operational issues referred to them by 
the Home Office 
ƒ Correspondence with Treasury about the funding of the MPS where this 
indicates disagreement between Home Office and Treasury or between Home Office and MPS or casts light on major changes in the deployment of resources 

## Metropolitan Police

5.5 All records surviving from the 19th century will be preserved either at The 
National Archives or in the MPS historical store. Records selected for The National Archives may be loaned to MPS for display or exhibition purposes but in the event that MPS cannot ensure suitable environmental conditions or public 
access, they will be taken into The National Archives. If records rejected by The National Archives are no longer required by the MPS store, they will not be disposed of without consulting The National Archives who will endeavour to find 
an alternative archive or museum for them. 5.6 In reviewing records created from 1900 onwards, police reviewers will continue 
to select for The National Archives records which document in any medium:   
ƒ Organisation, structure and remit 
ƒ Range of activities ƒ Development of policing methods ƒ Response to new legislative requirements and changing social 
expectations in relation to both operational policing and administration 
ƒ Role in relation to national events, personalities and *causes célèbres* ƒ Police relationship with and attitude to the local community ƒ Social profile of uniformed police 5.7 With particular reference to local history, reviewers will also select: 
ƒ Information which enables researchers to study crime trends ƒ Station records and criminal cases which cast light on social conditions 
in particular areas or among particular groups 
ƒ Plans, drawings and other records of historic police buildings ƒ Moving image productions showing premises and locations not likely to 
be available from other sources 5.8 With reference to broader social and political trends reviewers will also select 
records of Special Branch relating to:  
ƒ Individuals and organisations monitored as a possible threat to national 
security where such records add to knowledge of those individuals and 
organisations  
ƒ The relationship of Special Branch to the Home Office and the Security 
Service 5.9 In addition to selecting records for preservation at The National Archives, 
reviewers will select records for preservation by MPS historical store on presentation terms, in particular: 
ƒ Files relating to developments in equipment, uniforms etc containing 
information in support of the museum's artefact collection 
ƒ Examples of routine forms and registers, ephemera, memorabilia and 
commemorative literature suitable for display purposes 
ƒ Honours files ƒ Pensions registers 5.10 Annex B sets out selection criteria in relation to particular themes and indicates 
disposition between The National Archives and MPS historical store. Annex C 
applies the criteria to series of records already represented at The National Archives.  

## 6 Implementation

 6.1 Implementation will fall to the Information Management Branch of the MPS and 
Records Management Department of The National Archives. The Operational Selection Policy will be applied in carrying out revision of disposal schedules and in the normal cycle of record review. 6.2 In addition there will be a one-off re-review of records previously rejected by 
The National Archives and held either by units for continuing administrative 
purposes or within the historical store. Where The National Archives confirms that these records are not required under the Operational Selection Policy, they will be formally presented to MPS under s.3(6) of the Public Records Act 1958 6.3 Unregistered records and early printed material already earmarked for 
preservation at The National Archives and held back pending agreement of this policy will be transferred immediately. 

## Annex A: Mps Central Registry File Series

MPS 
LETTERCODE 
SUBJECT 
THE 
NATIONAL ARCHIVES  
SERIES 
 
AF 
Administration and finance 
MEPO 24 
CM 
Communications 
MEPO 25 
CR 
Crime 
MEPO 26 
CS 
Civil staff 
MEPO 27 
DP 
Computers 
MEPO 37 
GN 
General 
MEPO 28 
LB 
Land and buildings 
MEPO 29 
OA 
Office administration 
MEPO 30 
OG 
Police organisation and administration 
MEPO 31 
SS 
Supplies and Services 
MEPO 32 
TF 
Traffic 
MEPO 33 
TR 
Transport 
MEPO 34 
Archive 
ANNEX B Selection and disposition by theme Theme 
Records to be selected for preservation 
 
The National Archives 
Office of the Commissioner and 
Receiver2 
Correspondence between the Commissioner and the Home Secretary, the Association of Chief Police Officers or Chief Constables of other forces where these relate to the interchange of views on major policy issues or the introduction or termination of a shared responsibility. 
The National Archives 
 
Minutes of meetings chaired by the 
Commissioner where these relate to issues affecting the service as a whole or have major impact on one unit. 
The National Archives 
 
Published annual reports Note: Although available through the copyright libraries these are preserved additionally by The National Archives for the convenience of researchers. 
MPS Store 
 
Records of visits and speeches at borough 
or special unit level. 
Finance, accounts and internal audit 
The National Archives 
High-level policy files relating to the funding of the MPS. Note: Accounts records will be destroyed in 
line with legislative requirements and The National Archives model schedules. Annual accounts will form part of the records of the Police Authority. 
The National Archives 
Personnel policy 
Discussions and decisions relating to major 
changes in policy on recruitment, training, conditions of service, health and welfare, discipline and retirement which have a general effect on the whole MPS or a critical effect on an individual specialist unit. 
MPS store 
 
Personal files of officers and civilian staff of 
interest to the MPS or of value for display and exhibition purposes 

                                            
2 The Offices of the Commissioner and the Receiver were combined in 1968  
 

 
 
Honours records 
 
MPS store 
 
Central Records of Service for uniformed 
police 
The National Archives The National Archives 
Training 
Files which document: 
- Training strategy - Headquarters discussions and decisions 
relating to foundation, expansion, change 
of aims or remit of training colleges and centres 
- Headquarters files re: development of 
new approaches to training 
- Training materials, including moving 
image productions, where these relate to aspects of policing of particular interest (e.g. public order, domestic violence, young offenders)  
 
 
Locally created records of organisation, 
staffing and course content for training centres. 
Training centre or MPS Store The National Archives 
Disciplinary procedures 
Files documenting: - MPS contribution to national debate on 
the handling of complaints against the police 
- Discussions and decisions on new 
internal disciplinary and complaints procedures 
- Reports of disciplinary inquiries or 
investigations relating to more than one officer or more than one criminal investigation Note: In general disciplinary policies and procedures will be documented through Police Orders and their successor Police Notices. 
Pay and Pensions 
The National Archives 
Files relating to negotiations on these issues only at the most senior level and where major issues of principle were involved (e.g. 
the right to strike) or where the police were treated differently from other public service employees. 
Files on revocation of pension where these relate to high profile cases of police corruption. Note: In general pay, allowances and pension information will be preserved through Police Orders, Statutory Instruments and Regulations, and personal 
files relating to individual staff will be destroyed in line with standard The National Archives disposal schedules. 
Special Constables 
The National Archives 
Changes in policy on the employment, recruitment, training or collaboration with professional officers 
Lay Visitors 
Introduction, development and evaluation of police station visitor scheme 
The National Archives 
Traffic Wardens 
The National Archives 
Files documenting changes in policy on the employment, recruitment, training and collaboration with traffic police; in particular the transfer of function to local authorities in 2000 Files relating to introduction, recruitment, 
duties and conditions of service  
Police and Community 
Support Officers 
The 
National Archives The National Archives 
Files relating to creation, organisation, review, abolition or transfer of specialist units and to policy on the recruitment, terms of service and training of specialists 
Specialist units: Air Support; Central Task Force; Child Protection; Counter Terrorism; Diplomatic Protection; Dogs; Economic & Specialist Crime; Firearms Unit; Flying Squad; Hostage & Crisis Negotiation; Kidnap & Specialist Investigations; Mounted; Royalty Protection; Serious & Organised Crime; Service 
 
MPS Store 
Intelligence; Special Branch; Traffic 
Instructions specific to specialist units (e.g. 
on care and training of animals);  
Records of individual animals including awards and photographs; Background information on specialist artefacts held by the store 
The National Archives 
Special Branch 
Files which illustrate the role of SB and its 
relationship to other units. 
Files which provide additional information about the VIPs for whom SB provides protection, or about the organisation of the service or the methods employed by protection officers. Files maintained by SB on individuals and organisations where these add to what is known about the subjects or about the wider political context or SB methods. Note: Special Branch duties include the covert monitoring of individuals and organisations considered a potential threat to national security as political extremists or believed to be involved in organised crime. 
The National Archives 
Forensic Science 
Files documenting headquarters discussions and decisions relating to foundation, expansion, change of aims or 
remit of forensic science services Final reports of MPS-sponsored research not otherwise published 
The National Archives 
Common Service Units: Police National Computer 
Large-scale computer projects tend to produce voluminous paperwork generated by project boards and sub-groups. Papers will be selected only from the highest levels (i.e. strategic planning board, main project board) of planning, implementation and continuing development. Note: The PNC was initially developed in the late 1960s by the Joint Automated Data Processing Unit (JADPU) of the Home Office, Prison Commission and Metropolitan 
Police and was set up at Hendon in 1972. Early Home Office files were successively re-registered into Home Office General Department, JADPU, and MPS ADP 
Department files. Some Home Office and MPS files and reports relating to early planning and establishment of the unit have been transferred into HO287 and HO337. Initially a database relating to traffic offences, it has been progressively expanded into a comprehensive criminal 
record database. As a product of a common police service, the database itself is not a public record. 
The 
National Archives 
Records which document: - The resourcing of the Unit - Transfer of responsibility to the Home 
Office 
Interpol (The UK office of Interpol was provided by MPS from 1958 to 1993 when it passed to the Home Office National Criminal Intelligence Service.) 
- MPS advice to international bodies on 
policing methods where this will not be fully documented by the records of the international organisation. 
- Investigation of cases where the MPS 
provided expert advice, collaborated extensively with foreign police on international crime, or carried out the investigation. 
 
National Criminal Intelligence Service 
The National Archives 
Files relating to the rationale for setting up the unit as a police common service, its transfer to Home Office in 1993 and its reestablishment as a non-departmental public body in 2002. 
The National Archives 
Operational Policing 
Records which clarify the nature of, 
rationale for, and effectiveness of changes in police powers and methods; in particular, minutes, papers, reports and moving image productions which document - Preparation of MPS submissions to the 
Home Office or public inquiries into police powers and methods  
- Internal discussions preceding major 
changes, policy decisions and their rationale, implementation and evaluation 
reports  
- Publicity and public relations approaches 
employed to introduce changes  
- Training materials which provide a 
realistic picture of how new methods and procedures were intended to operate 
- Reports of research on policing methods 
in the MPS where these have not been published 
- Individual criminal investigations where 
these meet the criteria in Annex C MEPO 26 Note: The primary source for information on operational policing is Police Orders (and its successor Police Notices) and regulations arising from parliamentary legislation. 
The National Archives 
Information and Communications Technology 
Papers relating to planning, implementation and continuing development of MPS- specific ITC systems only from the highest levels (i.e. strategic planning board, main project board). Papers relating to co-operation on ITC projects with Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO), other constabularies or international bodies only where they provide insight to MPS approaches and requirements not otherwise documented in MPS records. 

## Annex C: Selection Criteria By The National Archives Series (Departmental Code: Mepo)3 Mps Reviewers Should Select For Preservation At The National Archives: Mepo 4 Service Records And Miscellaneous Books And Papers Relating To Staffing

 
- Summary information relating to uniformed officers only. (NB This will 
be transferred to The National Archives only when it can be released to the public and, given the format of the records, this may not be until 80 years after the last entry. Prior to transfer to The National 
Archives, they will be kept by the MPS historical store.) 
- Personal file of the Commissioner - Personal file of officers who are particularly famous or notorious 
where these add to what is generally known of their career 
MEPO 7 
Police Orders and Notices 
 
- Complete set 
MEPO 8 
Confidential books and instructions 
 
- Unregistered instructions where they do not appear on a file selected 
for permanent preservation 
MEPO 9 
Architectural plans and drawings 
 
- Basic plans of all major police stations and specialist accommodation 
- A wider selection of plans and drawings for those buildings judged to 
be of historical interest because of their status, special features or precedent value  
MEPO 10 
Senior Officers' papers 
 
- Unregistered papers of the Commissioner, Receiver, Deputy and 
Assistant Commissioners which add to the information on registered files about key events and personalities, either because the original papers were not filed in the corporate scheme, or because the senior officers' copies have been uniquely annotated 
MEPO 11 
Representative books and records from police units 
 
- Routine unit records with content of historical interest (e.g. Special 
Branch prisoner's property log containing details of Lord Haw-Haw's property)  
- Occurrence Books which provide insight into the day-to-day work of 
the station and the character of its neighbourhood Note: Occurrence Books are of varying quality and have become less 
informative since the 1970s with the introduction of other methods of recording information. But earlier ones may provide a very full record of activities at and crimes reported to local police stations.  The National Archives previously selected a few examples of these and rejected books were either destroyed or preserved by MPS historical store. Surviving books will be re-appraised for The National Archives. Documents, which are intended solely as examples of record types (e.g. officers' notebooks, custody logs, prisoners' property registers), should be preserved by the MPS historical store  

MEPO 13 
Photographs of police events and equipment 
 
- Fully documented photographic collections/albums which can be 
related to a selected registered file, particularly those recording unique or rare events 
- Albums and collections relating to regular events (e.g. passing out 
parades) and photographs which are loose or unofficial or unidentified will be preserved by the MPS historical store 
MEPO 14 
Photographs of police stations 
 
- Stations and other police buildings of historical interest because of 
their architecture, status or precedent value 
MEPO 15 
Maps and plans 
 
- A complete set of maps showing the boundaries of MPS districts - Plans showing police arrangements for major events (e.g. royal 
wedding, controversial state visit) 
MEPO 19 
Annual reports of the Commissioner 
 
- Complete set 
MEPO 21 
Pension ledgers 
 
- Indexes to ledgers already held by The National Archives  
Note: No further pension ledgers or pension records for individuals will be transferred to The National Archives. They may be held by the MPS historical store. 

## Mepo 24 Administration And Finance (Af Series)

 
- Files relating to major changes in the administrative or financial 
regime (e.g. merger of the Commissioner's and Receiver's Offices, transfer from Home Office to Metropolitan Police Authority) and toplevel discussions of resourcing and administration issues whether or not these led to change 
- Responses to audit reports where these involve service-wide issues 
MEPO 25 
Communications (CM series) 
 
- Minutes and papers of committees or working groups responsible for 
communications strategy 

- Project board minutes and papers for introduction of new forms of 
communication technology affecting the whole MPS 
- Final reports on police-sponsored research, pilot projects and major 
reviews, whether or not these led to change 

## Mepo 26 Crime (Cr Series)

 
- Files which give a picture of the development of policing in its wider 
political and social context, including the emergence of new types of criminal activity and technological and scientific innovation. In particular, investigation files for cases which: 
¾ 
Led to the development of significant new methods of investigation, evidence or procedure, or which were the first examples of such methods (e.g. use of DNA evidence, suspect profiling, tape recording of interviews) 
¾ 
Provide insight into a particular criminal group, community, or type of offence and the way in which the police responded to them (e.g. drug dealers; traveller communities; child abuse) 
¾ 
Aroused exceptional public interest (demonstrated by prolonged or repeated discussion in Parliament and the national media and/or the involvement of pressure groups) or led to a public inquiry  
¾ 
Involved individuals or organisations likely to be the subject of research and provide information about them not likely to be available elsewhere 
¾ 
Demonstrate both the range and quality of policing skills of MPS officers or units 
¾ 
Relate to capital offences  
Reviewers should aim to document both the changing approach to longstanding issues (e.g. juvenile delinquency, the misuse of drugs, prostitution) and responses to new problems (e.g. computer fraud, video pirating, internet paedophile rings). Trends in minor crime may be better documented by a combination of policy papers and database information than by the preservation of individual case files. However files, which individually relate to minor crimes, may be selected if as a collection they document the activities of a major crime ring. Criminal case files range from the single file relating to a minor offence to a multi-part file with voluminous associated papers relating to a major crime or complex of related crimes. Since the purpose of preserving the files at The National Archives is to provide historical evidence, *not* to permit the case to be re-investigated, selected cases do not have to be preserved in full.4 In general reviewers should keep only those sub-files and associated papers relevant to the reason for selecting the file. E.g. a murder case kept because it was the first occasion on which DNA evidence was used may be adequately represented by the preservation of the main file and any sub-file relating to the forensic evidence. Where a case remains unsolved but is judged of historical importance, The National Archives may keep all the related papers.  

## Mepo 27 Civil Staff (Cs Series)

 
- Civilianisation and the relationship between uniformed and civil staff 
- Policies on recruitment, training, grading and terms of employment 
only where these differ from those standard to public service organisations and are not adequately covered by published information 
- Organisation of administrative units only where this impacts on 
operational policing  

## Mepo 28 General (Gn Series)

 
- Introduction, major changes in or abolition of registration or licensing 
will be preserved; case files will be destroyed 
- Ceremonial occasions: key papers and maps/plans for major royal 
events (weddings, funerals, coronations), controversial state visits and regular events (e.g. Lord Mayor's parade) where these involved major changes of approach 
- Offences against public morals where the case relates to individuals 
or organisations likely to be the subject of research, or resulted in prolonged public interest 

## Mepo 29 Land And Buildings (Lb Series)

 
- Purchase and disposal of land and buildings of particular significance 
either to the MPS or to the local community (e.g. properties at Bow Street and Hendon)  

## Mepo 30 Office Administration (Oa Series)

 
- Major changes in procedures (e.g. introduction of new registry) which 
provide archival context for other selected records 

## Mepo 31 Police Organisation And Administration (Og Series)

 
- Changes in organisation affecting the whole MPS or having a major 
impact on a specialist unit  
- Introduction, radical change to or abolition of police powers (e.g. stop 
and search), specialist unit (e.g. UK office of Interpol) or operational procedures (e.g. interview protocol) 
                                            
- Senior level discussions on policies for recruitment, training and 
discipline 
- Cases relating to individuals only where these resulted in changes of 
policy or exceptional treatment or prolonged public interest  

## Mepo 32 Supplies And Services (Ss Series)

 
- Top-level decisions on the introduction, alternation or abolition of 
services and supplies affecting the whole MPS 

## Mepo 33 Traffic (Tf Series)

 
- Major changes to organisation or resourcing of traffic duties 
- Internal discussion of and final responses to Home Office or ACPO 
on national traffic policing issues (e.g. regarding proposed legislative changes) where these have a significant impact on MPS  
- Minutes and papers of meetings with local authorities and transport 
authorities to discuss traffic control and policing issues 
- Case files relating to diplomatic privilege and fatal accidents only 
where these resulted in a change of policy or prolonged national media interest 
- Responsibility for licensing of taxi cabs  

## Mepo 34 Transport (Tr Series)

 
- Top-level policy decisions on introduction, adaptation/changes to, or 
discontinuance of  
¾ 
Types of vehicle  
¾ 
Driver training 

## Mepo 35 Aliens Registration Cards

 
- Small random sample of cards every tenth year until data is 
computerised 
Note: Apart from the small number of examples already at The National Archives, all cards more than 10 years old have already been destroyed under schedule.  

## Mepo 37 Computers (Dp Series)

 
- Minutes and papers of senior staff committees and meetings dealing 
with the introduction, further development or discontinuance of major IT projects and installations within the MPS (e.g. CRIS) 
- Strategic level planning for IT development in collaboration with other 
constabularies or sectors of the criminal justice system (e.g. joint 
MPS/CPS criminal justice units) 
- Information on capture and manipulation of data and technical details 
of dataset software (for datasets selected for permanent preservation 
only) 

- Final reports of national projects piloted by MPS 

## Mepo 38 Special Branch Files

 
- Organisation, role and staffing policy of SB, its relationship with other 
parts of the MPS and with other agencies 
- Protection of VIPs which provide additional information about the 
individuals protected, controversial events, or the organisation and methods employed - Individuals and organisations under surveillance where these add to 
what is known about the subjects or about the wider political context or SB methods 

## Mepo 40 War Crimes Unit

 
- Administrative files relating to the setting up, organisation, staffing 
and closing down of the Unit 
- All investigation files and related video interviews 
- Supporting indexes  
Note: Files relating to the investigation of war crimes is a sub-set of the CR series. The records of the WCU are being treated as a separate collection to reflect the fact that it was established by the War Crimes Act 1992 to investigate crimes committed in German-occupied territory 1939-1945. The legislation was exceptional and the resulting investigation was unprecedented in the UK.  

## Mepo 41 Crime Reporting System Database (Cris)

 
- Annual snapshot of the complete data