British police have asked prosecutors to consider charges including corporate manslaughter and gross negligence manslaughter against dozens of people over the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire that killed 72 people.
The Metropolitan Police said they had submitted their full case files to the Crown Prosecution Service for charging decisions, which the CPS had committed to making before the 10th anniversary of the disaster in June 2027.
The force said it had also asked the CPS to consider health and safety offences, fraud and fraud-related offences and misconduct in public office as part of its investigation into Britain’s deadliest fire since World War II.
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Case files relating to 54 people and 20 companies and organisations have been sent after investigators examined the role of more than 15,000 people and 700 organisations.
Police said they had gathered 165 million electronic files, taken 14,700 statements and collected more than 27,000 exhibits during what they described as one of the most complex criminal investigations ever undertaken in Britain.
The CPS said charging decisions would be made before the 10th anniversary of the disaster in North Kensington, west London, which is on 14 June 2027.
A 2024 public inquiry concluded the disaster was the result of decades of failures by government, regulators and companies involved in Grenfell Tower’s refurbishment.
The tower’s charred remains remained an ugly crime scene for the 14-month period after the blaze. During that time forensic teams pored over the charred remnants of the tower to find explanations and evidence for the extremely rapid spread of the fire.
Lab tests appeared to point to a malfunctioning fridge in a fourth-storey flat as the origin of the fast moving inferno.
The investigation has also examined 45,000 documents, images and exhibits, according to the BBC.
Deputy assistant commissioner Kevin Southworth told the broadcaster that 220 investigators had contributed to the painstaking group effort on the case but conceded that “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,” he added.
