According to the Civil Nuclear Constabulary's government notice, the force led a multi-force legal mock trial for staff who investigate civil compensation claims arising from health and safety incidents. The exercise brought together representatives from the CNC, West Midlands Police, Staffordshire Constabulary and the Metropolitan Police Service. For Policy Wire readers, the significance is operational rather than ceremonial. When a public body faces a civil claim after an injury, the case turns not only on the incident itself but on records, witness evidence and whether managers can explain decisions under court scrutiny. The stated purpose of the event was to give participating teams a realistic view of how a civil trial is run.
The event was hosted in Birmingham by the CNC's solicitor partners, DWF, with presentations and the mock hearing led largely by barristers from Parklane Plowden chambers. That format placed police legal, insurance and health and safety personnel in front of the kind of advocacy and questioning they may face if a claim proceeds to court. The opening sessions focused on the main features of employers' liability and public liability actions. In plain terms, employers' liability concerns duties owed to staff, while public liability concerns duties owed to other people affected by an organisation's activities. The government notice said particular attention was given to documentary evidence, which is often central in showing what was known, what precautions were taken and whether procedures were followed.
The mock trial itself was built around a compensation claim arising from injuries sustained during a police exercise. That scenario gave participants a concrete way to test how training records, incident reporting, operational planning and witness accounts might be examined when liability is disputed. According to the CNC, delegates were shown how evidence is presented in court to help a judge decide whether a claim has merit. The exercise also covered the physical layout of the courtroom and included sustained cross-examination by opposing barristers. That is a practical point often missed in written guidance: witnesses are not simply asked to confirm their statements, but may be challenged in detail on accuracy, timing and professional judgement.
Nayan Mesuria, the CNC's Solicitor and Insurance Manager, organised the event and also took the role of the claimant, meaning the party bringing the claim. His involvement reflected the training purpose of the day, with staff asked to view the case from both sides rather than only from the perspective of the defendant force. In the government notice, Mr Mesuria described civil claims against police forces as serious and complex matters requiring professional and careful handling. He said the aim was to prepare legal and health and safety teams for what to expect once a case reaches court, and to give colleagues a realistic sense of the scrutiny applied to both those advancing a claim and those defending it.
The account published by the CNC suggests that the event was also a lesson in institutional preparedness. In civil health and safety litigation, the quality of the underlying paperwork can become as important as oral evidence. Risk assessments, training logs, instructions, post-incident reviews and internal communications may all be tested against the factual sequence presented at trial. For public bodies, that has a wider governance value. Mock-trial exercises do not alter the legal test applied by the court, but they can expose weak record-keeping, unclear ownership of decisions and gaps between operational practice and written policy. Used properly, that kind of rehearsal can improve both claims handling and day-to-day compliance.
The CNC said initial feedback from attendees was positive, with participants describing the trial as educational and the supporting talks from solicitor and barrister partners as strong. Mr Mesuria said the organisation benefited from working with specialist legal advisers and that the external input had strengthened its preparation for representing the force appropriately in civil matters. Taken together, the event reads as a practical case study in how police forces prepare for civil court scrutiny after health and safety incidents. It was not a policy announcement, but it does show the administrative work that sits behind employers' liability and public liability cases. An accompanying video of the CNC mock trial event was also published by the organisation.