Crown Prosecution Service asked to consider series of charges including corporate manslaughter against 54 people and 20 firms
The Metropolitan Police said it has submitted all files to the Crown Prosecution Service to allow them to make charging decisions in relation to the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017.
In a statement, the Met said: “The 20 files relate to 20 companies and organisations and 54 individuals. They ask the CPS to consider charges including corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, health and safety offences, fraud and fraud-related offences and misconduct in public office.”
In all, 72 people were killed when a blaze broke out at the 24-storey tower block on 14 June that year.
The CPS has previously committed to making the charging decisions before the 10th anniversary of the fire in June 2027.
The Met’s deputy assistant commissioner Kevin Southworth added: “This is a milestone moment in the police investigation into this devastating tragedy which took the lives of 72 people.
“Our dedicated team of 220 investigators has worked incredibly hard to honour our commitment to the bereaved, survivors, residents and all those affected by the fire to meet this timescale.
“We appreciate, of course, it has taken nine years to get to this point. As we have said before, this is one of the most complex investigations ever undertaken by any UK law enforcement agency - the scale is truly enormous.
“While we know this has had a significant impact on those waiting for answers, it has necessarily taken this long to ensure our investigation is meticulous and presents the very best possible evidence to the CPS for charging decisions.”
The Met said the “investigation has been immense” with the role of more than 15,000 individuals and 700 organisations involved in Grenfell Tower examined.
As well as the 20 files, the submission to the CPS also includes 14 overarching evidence files.
The word count of the Met’s summary reports alone to the CPS exceeds four million over 12,600 pages, referencing more than 45,000 documents, images and exhibits. A total of 14,700 statements have been taken, it said.
It added that police officers and forensic experts had examined approximately 15 tonnes of debris on each floor.
And it said that more than 27,000 exhibits, including cladding, insulation, doors, windows and other parts of the building, down to screws, nut and bolts, remain stored in a secure warehouse.
The Met said: “While in no way pre-empting the CPS’s decisions, we are working with criminal justice partners on the next stages to ensure the Grenfell families and survivors are supported as well as possible.”
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