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POLICE REPORT, TYPES AND INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS

POLICE REPORT

-       A document that entails all of the facts, circumstances, and timeline of events surrounding an incident. Usually, it is used by the police department, the victim of the crime and court personnel.

-       The report answers the crucial questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how about the occurrence. Police reports can be simple memoranda or more formal documentation, depending on the circumstances. The goal is to objectively capture the findings of an investigation for immediate or future reference.

Types of Police Report

1.     Spot Report

-        This is a verbal or written report prepared within 24 hours of a significant incident.

-        This report is meant to notify an immediate chief or those in higher positions of a specific incidence within his command of responsibility.

2.     Special Report

-        This is written by a police unit or office in response to a command or instruction from a higher-level official.

-        This sort of report utilizes the memorandum format for correspondence.

-        This report was signed by the commander or the chief or an authorized person if the higher authority is not around.

The report should contain the rationale and the action:

Rationale – specifications and details related to the problem.

Action – expected action or response the receiver or reader will do after reading the report.

3.     Beat Inspection Report/After Patrol Reports

-        This is a routine report since the duty beat supervisor provides it on a daily basis; those assigned to beat inspection conduct routine checks on foot, while those on patrol sectors utilize patrol cars.

-        This is one of the widely practiced written forms of communication in a station.

-        Use memorandum format.

4.     Wanted Person Report

-        Using the notice on wanted person, this report is about those persons who are wanted by the police.

-        Information of wanted persons are flashed on local and national television as well posted in conspicuous areas as a notice to the public.

-        This report is done in 4 copies submitted to the following:

a. PNP Provincial Director/Chief PNP

b. Concerned Department

c. National Bureau of Investigation

d. Rogues’ Gallery

5.     Arrest Report

-        This kind of report includes all the events in arresting a suspect.

-        This includes the personal information, jail booking, control and release of prisoners, and court proceeding.

-        This report is based on information received and ensures probable cause for a warrant/warrantless arrest.

6.     Crime Report

-        These reports are written after the conclusion from the preliminary investigation that a crime truly happened.

-        This report also includes important factors like corpus delicti, suspect description, properties take, evidences collected, property damage, victim’s injuries and suspects modus operandi

7.     Miscellaneous Incident Report

-        Also known as MI Report, this is used to document any incident, situation or circumstances that are not crimes, or may not be designated by a particular title.

-        The purpose of this report is simply to maintain the integrity of the department’s reporting system.

8.     Traffic Accident Report

-        Written by the officer who investigates the accident.

-        Included in this report are the facts and information about the vehicular accident whether fatal or non-fatal.

-        Also, it includes the nature of the damage of any property, location of the accident and causes. In addition, the statement of the witness, diagrams and photographs of the accident.

9.     Investigative Report

-        An investigative report is an objective statement of the investigator’s findings. It is an official record of information relevant to the investigation which the investigator submits to his or her superior. It is a document that details the findings or evidence related to the formal complaint of allegation.

Uses of Investigative Report

Ø  Records

-        Provides permanent official record of the relevant information obtained in the course of the investigation.

Ø  Leads

-        Provide other investigators with information necessary to further advance their own investigation.

Ø  Prosecution of Action

-        A statement of facts on which designated authorities may base a criminal, corrective or disciplinary action.

Ø  Reference

-        To serve as reference by other investigative agencies and competent authorities.

Ø  Documentary Evidence

-        The report will be used by the court during trial proceeding.

Ø  Statistical Data

-        The report will be used in presenting statistical data for crime analysis.

Types of Investigative Report

1.     Initial/Spot Report

-        An advance information on a new or fresh case assigned to an investigator.

-        It is a written and submitted without delay after having conducted the initial investigation of the case and done as soon as the complaint is received.

-        It begins as soon as the officer completes preliminary investigation report referred to as a case report.

Format:

o   The Offense

o   Time, date and place of occurrence

o   Identification data pertaining to the victim or reporting party.

o   Method of operation

o   Identification data pertaining to suspects

o   Identification of officers

Points to Remember:

v  Paragraph 1 is the introductory paragraph of an initial report.

v  Introductory paragraph is to point out to the reader the statement of the objective, and the subject of the report.

v  Paragraph 2, will narrate the facts gathered in the course of the ongoing investigation.

2.     Progress/Follow-up Report

-        Contains the result of the following up investigation of a recent case. It is accomplished whenever any development relevant to the case is discovered.

-        It serves as a gauge or yardstick for the detective’s efficiency. It describes progress of the investigation from time to time and ensures constant follow ups.

Points to remember:

v  The statement of the objective or the subject of the report is changed.

v  The opening statement of the introductory paragraph is also changed from initial report to progress report.

v  For administrative purposes, the case number is not mentioned, an original number is assigned to every new fresh case throughout the investigation until it is solved.

v  The report progresses through the follow-up investigation done by the investigator.

Termination of Investigation may be done due to the following reason/s:

      I.         Lack of lead/s

    II.         Waiting for further developments and gathering of evidences.

  III.         Closed-perpetrator/s arrested and case filed in the proper court of jurisdiction.

3.     Final Report/Closing Report

-        A complete written narration of facts based from a thorough investigation of the case. This is a result of evaluation, summation, and analysis of all facts and circumstance of the case and the complete accumulation and collection of data.

-        The final or closing report is undertaken whenever the case is solved and considered as closed, signifying that the offender has been arrested, the evidence against him is complete to warrant prosecution and witnesses, sufficiency of evidence and perpetrators are identified so as to warrant filing of case and/or termination of investigation due to circumstance listed above.

Points to remember:

v  The final report bears the mark “Case Solved/Closed”.

v  The heading has the same letterhead, case number, date, nature if the crime. The introductory paragraph presents the original facts of the case.

v  The body has the main contents of the report and related facts about the crime and the final sequence of events are unfolded here.

v  The ending has the usual administrative data like the signature of the report writer, the official endorsement of the section and the department offices.

Parts of an Investigation Report

      I.     Authority

-        Part where the investigator cites the authority for making the report and he states briefly the date, the place and the person by whom the investigation is made.

    II.     Maters Investigated

-        The part where the investigator writes the purpose of his report by generally stating what the investigation is all about. Included in this part are the complaints and the allegations of committed crimes.

  III.     Facts of the Case

-        The coherent presentation of all the important facts supported by evidences involving the whole investigation.

  IV.     Discussion

-        Indicating all the factual information related to the investigation. The investigator discusses all the circumstances to give the reader a clear picture of the whole investigation in order to establish the conclusion and recommendation of the report.

    V.     Conclusion

-        Indicating the summary of the result of the whole investigation process. The summary should be supported by facts basing from the order of statement of allegations.

  VI.     Recommendation

-        Consistent with conclusion.

-        This is where the investigator writes his judgment and the practical suggestions for appropriate actions to be taken, for proper disposition of the case, for remedy of unsatisfactory situation and for a recommendation that a case be closed.

Steps in writing an Investigation Report

1.     Initial Preparation

-        The investigator will determine his purposes and objectives in writing the report. He then gathers the facts and circumstances related to the case.

2.     Final Organization of the Collected Data

-        Using chronological order, all the gathered facts, and evidences related to the case should be sequentially presented.

3.     Preparation of the First Draft

-        First draft should also follow the chronological order of presentation.

-        The draft should be based from the outline and should be presented in a clear manner with the use of appropriate transitions to maintain the coherent flow of ideas.

4.     Rewriting and Polishing the Report

-        The investigator will recheck, edit and review the rough draft to check and correct the errors and goes on rewriting to improve the whole report.

5.     Finalize the Report

-        Last step where the investigator prepares the final report based from the rewritten and corrected draft.