ENGLISH 2 (LEGAL FORMS)

DEFINITION OF TERMS

 Report is an objective statement of the findings of the investigator, an

official record of the information that is relevant to an investigation.
 Clarity refers to the clearness of thought, style, or expression of the writer.
An effective writer must use correct English, and must point directly to the written
communication to save readers from reading unnecessary words.
 Accuracy is the conformity to facts and representation of truth with
precision and exactness. In writing a report, all facts and information whether
favorable or unfavorable to the concerned subject should be included, and these
facts are verified by statement of witnesses, and by reference to official records or
reliable sources. An accurate report is a true reflection and representation of the
facts to the best of the writer’s knowledge. A accurate report is also a specific
report.
 Completeness refers to having all the necessary normal part, components,
and style of writing in its entirety. In writing a complete report the elements of the
crime should established and the additional facts should prove those elements.
Documentation of the report should base from important statement and letters,
findings of other agencies, and laboratory reports. This should also answer the 5w’s
and 1H questions.
 Brevity has something to do with the quality or state of being brief and
concise, with the quality or terseness, and lack or wordiness. Brevity is achieved by
omitting materials or information that is useless, irrelevant and redundant.
 Fairness in writing is having or exhibiting a disposition that is free of
favoritism, bias, impartiality, self-interest, or preference in judgment. A fair writer
should always base his report on facts, and if there are theories should be verified
first and be consistent with facts.
 Specificity is the quality of writing pertaining to being explicitly define and
specific rather than general. A good writer must be precise and specific in writing
his or her report, and should avoid ideas that mislead the readers.
 Perspective refers to the point of view from which the investigator presents
the findings of his report based from gathered evidences. For maintaining the
objectivity of the report, the third person point of view should be used; the writer
should refer himself or herself as the ‘investigator” or “the police officer”.
 Selection of information relates to the gathered data in connection with
how the writer presents these in his report. Selectivity is vital since this will affect the
investigator’s decision on the facts and information that he will include. He should
discard irrelevant details to arrive at a coherent report, and should only report
information that are composed of physical evidence, statement, and complete
investigation. An effective writer should be able to make a distinction between facts
and opinions.
 Organization is the process of how a report is put together after the
specific details of facts have been gathered. Organization of the report should follow
after the investigator had conducted and gathered the evidences necessary in the
investigation. The chronological order of narrating events should be used in writing
the report. Basing from a specific and detailed outline, the report shall follow the
rules of writing the stylistics.
 Standard Operating Procedures (SOP)- the standard procedures for all
police stations and all offices of the National Operational Support Units.
 Police Blotter- a logbook that contains the daily registry of all crime
incident reports, official summaries of arrests, and other significant events reported
in a police station. (PNP Manual revised 2010)

 Defined as a daily record of events within the territories of a police unit, it

 contains daily material concerning events for legal and statistical purposes.
(PNP Circular No.5)

 Sworn Statement- also termed as Sworn Declaration. It is document

containing facts related to a legal proceeding. The person who makes the
declaration affixes his or her signature in a separate endorsement paragraph at
the end of the document with a statement that the declaration is made under
oath.
 Affidavits- these are types of verified, formal sworn statement of fact signed by
an affiant or author, and witnessed by a notary public. An affidavit can be used
as evidence in court proceedings. An affidavit is composed of:
o Commencement- this identifies the affiant
o Individual Averments- these are separate claims that are numbered
as mandated by law;
o Statement of Truth- this is a statement verifying that what is stated is
true under oath
o Attestation- a clause certifying the oath and the date made by the
affiant.
o Signature- this is both the signature of the affiant and the notary public.
o Examples of Affidavit.
o Affidavit of Complaint- section 3 of Rule 110 defined complaint as
sworn written statement charging a person with offense, subscribed by
the offended party, any peace officer, or other public law officer charged
with the enforcement of the law violated. An affidavit of complaint
contains the following: the name of the accused, the designation of the
offense by the statute, the acts or omissions complained of as
constituting the offense, the name of the general offended party, the
approximate time of the commission of the offense, and the place
wherein the offense was committed.
o Affidavit of Desistance- a complainant executed an affidavit of
desistance when he no longer wishes to pursue a case against an
accused or defendant in a court case. The complainant states that
he/she didn’t really intend to institute the case and he/she no longer
interested in testifying or prosecuting. This is only a ground for
dismissing the case if only the prosecution can no longer prove the guilt
of the accused beyond reasonable doubt without the testimony of the
offended party.
o Affidavit of Arrest- is a statement given under oath and penalty under
perjury. This states about facts and circumstances about the arrest, the
information which led to the arrest and the observation made before
and after the arrest. This is filled out by the arresting officer.
o Affidavit of Witness- is a legal and binding document of written
testimony of a witness as a way for evidence to be presented to the
court. It is usually filled out by a lawyer, and then filed as part of the
case. The affidavit has to be in paragraph form, and each paragraph
covers one specific topic. The full name of the person making the
statement has to be included, as does the name of one who affirms the
statement. This kind of affidavit can also be used to record the
testimony of an expert witness in certain cases. The affidavit has to be
truthful and just give facts, not personal feelings or opinions.

 Inquest Forms- is an informal and summary investigation conducted by a

public prosecutor in criminal case involving persons arrested and detained
without the benefit of warrant of arrest, issued by the court for the purpose of
determining whether or not the said persons should remain under custody and
correspondingly be charged in the court.
 Complaints in Criminal Cases- it is important that those who will be writing
the police report will be familiar with forms of complaints in criminal cases, its
format, and the standard headings and captions cases, its format, and the
standard headings and captions of cases. The familiarization of all these will
 help him in reports, and in any court proceedings. These standard headings
and captions are used in the: Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, and Municipal
Courts. The sample forms of complaints included are: Violation of Municipal
Ordinance, Forcible Abduction, Arson, Damage to Property through reckless
imprudence, homicide and murder.

 Memorandum- is an inter-office communication dealing with official matters in

the police organization, its message is written in the fewest possible words. A
memorandum is for application, requiring compliance or dissemination of
information for the offices and members of the organization. In some cases, it
is specifically directed to an individual or groups of individual in a specific
performance or action. Police executives and subordinate officials may issue
memorandums; the former may use it for administrative instructions while the
latter for advisory or informative matters.

Parts of Memorandum
a. Heading- this contains the date, subject, thru channels and addressee.

b. Letterhead –every police unit or police office has its own letterhead
where it is usually printed in the first page.

c. Addressee- the words “MEMORANDUM FOR” is used if sends to a superior

office or “MEMORANDUM TO” if sends to a subordinate.

d. Attention Line- this is mainly for faster dissemination, the memorandum may
be addressed to a specific individual or head of a unit, or by the use of an
office symbol.

e. Subject- this is written two spaces below the sender and two spaces to the
right colon. It contains no more than ten words.

f. Date- this is placed below the subject indicating when the memorandum is
written.

g. Body- this is the message of the memorandum, it is double-spaced when the

message is less that nine lines.

h. Complimentary Ending- this is the originator’s name found 5 spaces below

the last paragraph of the body of the message.

 Memorandum Circulars- also termed as MC in government offices,

Memorandum Circulars have subjects that explain or classify rules for
subordinates to comply.

 Circulars- Generally, these are issuances coming from Department of Interior

and Local Government (DILG) to the PNP, these are administrative instructions
that are directive, advisory, and delegation of authority, and instructions or
regulations to be implemented.

 Office Circulars- these are administrative instructions requiring compliance

from personnel or office dealing with subjects like delegation of authority,
appointment or assignment of personnel.

 Office Orders- these are administrative instructions that are regularly and
mandatory. This order is mainly for the regulation of administrative matters in the
National Headquarters, Regional, Provincial, and District Offices. These orders
 usually deal with suspects like personal conduct requiring compliance.

 Special Orders- these are directives signed by the Chief Directorial Staff for the
appointment, transfer, promotion, reduction, relief from duty, separation and
leave of absence of personnel.

 Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)- is about instructions to be followed on a

routinary basis concerning regular procedures, the chief of the director directs
this.

 Records- refers to the verified, confirmed, evaluated, and analyzed reports.

These are the end products of the investigation, and the submission of reports
done by the investigator.

1. The Nature of Report Writing, a report is an objective statement of the

findings of the investigator; this is an official record of the information that
is relevant to an investigation. Therefore, a good report plays an
important role in the success of any investigations. But the fact remains
that there are many reports that are haphazardly written, and it results in
jeopardizing the whole investigation process. There is a great demand
for every report writer to fully develop his writing skills so that the best
written outputs will be achieved.
1.a Reports are helpful and may influence the career of the investigator,
or any law enforcer. Recognition and promotion are mostly based on the
quality of reports. The personality of an effective report writer is also
reflected in the kind of reports he write. Well written reports show a
favorable impression not only on the competence of the writer but also
on his credibility. In contrast, erroneous reports can damage the writer’s
career, as it may also destroy the image of the agency of the
organization he is connected with.

2. Points to consider in Writing Reports, well written reports do not

happen in a snap of a finger, but rather they are products of series of
writing activities that are perfected over constant practice. Good report
writers are those who painstakingly take the effort of writing and revising
their work to achieve the best output. They follow certain points of
considerations and rules in writing reports like: using the best language,
avoiding the errors form, and avoiding errors of substance.
2.a The best language in report writing is one that could be easily
understood by the target reader, because not all reader has the time to
read twice and decipher ambiguous reports. A report that contains the
best language that includes the following characteristics: concise, clear,
organized, thorough, accurate, and adequate.
2.b Faulty report is awkward and ambiguous; and those with
grammatical errors are an additional headache to the reader, because it
may present meaning aside from what it intends to convey.
2.c Report writers are greatly expected to be well-versed in grammar and
all its governing rules to avoid errors in spelling, typological forms, file
number, and report format. The substance of the report is the most
important aspect in writing; this has something to do with the exact
content of the report with the completeness of the 5W’s and 1h.
2.d The accurate content of the report is seriously considered because it
can seriously affect the lives of people like a criminal being set free, or
an innocent person being convicted. In addition, the credibility of the
writer will also be tarnished, along with the reputation of the whole
company or agency he is representing. To avoid this error, the writer
must not delay in investigating and reporting, he must include essential
facts, must cover obvious leads, and must conduct adequate interviews.
3. Strategies in Writing Good report, writing is a process that requires
strategies. Good written outputs are the products of carefully crafted
writing activity. A writer can expect a favorable outcome in his report if
the written activity has been developed from a specific goal, and follows
from a time-tested strategy. The following are suggested strategies that
a writer must adhere in writing a report:
a. Check and re-check first whether notes on gathered facts are
already complete and organized.
b. If notes on gathered facts are insufficient, go back into the
process of gathering more facts related to the situation.
c. Make an outline of the report basing from the completely gathered
facts.
d. Use the chronological order of writing in presenting facts and
ideas in the written report.
e. The outline of the report should basically answer the complete 5
W’s and 1H.
f. Prepare a report that could either be simple, brief, complex, or in
memorandum form, depending on its required format.

4. Types of report writers, According to the Philippine National Police

investigative manual, these are three types of report writers:
a. The writers who write without thinking- are those who do not
bother gather facts and information to support the written report.
They are those who are not keen in observing and gathering
facts to supplement the written output. These are also writers
who are not conscious of their grammar error and do not intend
to correct what is grammatically wrong. They are lazy and
careless in gathering specific information. As a whole, they are
concern whether their readers will understand the written report
or not.
b. The writers who write and think at the same time- these are the
writers who gather information and facts and put them into
writing. In addition, they review and verify their works but they
are in a hurry to write, therefore the gathered informations are
not properly documented. These kinds of writers are also
partially conscious of the grammatically of their written output,
and submit their reports with average accuracy.
c. The writers who think first and write afterwards- these writers are
those who gather specific data, facts, and evidences carefully
before they write, and they are very keen in observing and
gathering information to back up their report. They are also very
conscious of their grammar and goes on correcting themselves
to improve their written output. Because they are diligent in
collecting facts, their reports are accurate, complete, fair,
concise and specific. These writers are concern about the
conciseness of their report with the purpose in mind that their
reader will be able to understand everything they have
presented. Lastly, these are the writers who present reports that
are free from biases, prejudices, subjectivity, and errors in any
form, and thus, they submit reports with 100% accuracy.
5. Qualities of a Good report, a well written report is also a result of
carefully planned and designed writing. Good report writers undergo the
process of writing, editing, and revising their work. For a report to be
considered as good, it needs to possess certain qualities like clarity,
accuracy, completeness, brevity, fairness and specificity.
a. Clarity refers to the clearness of thought, style or expression of
the writer.

Examples:
Unclear: The pump boat capsized because it was overload.

Clear: The pump boat capsized because it was overloaded.

 Rescuers confirmed that the pump boat can only hold five
people. Witnesses said that there were ten people when it
capsized.

b. Accuracy refers to the conformity to facts and representation of

truth with precision and exactness.

Examples:
Inaccurate: The child was hit by a speeding motorcycle.

Accurate : The child was hit by a blue Honda Wave

motorcycle, which is approximately travelling an estimated
speed of 50 kph.

c. Completeness refers to having all necessary normal part,

components and style of writing entirety.

Examples:
Incomplete: The missing boy was found.

Complete: The 5- year old boy from Lapu-lapu City who was
missing for seven days was found wandering in A.C. Cortes
Avenue by a couple from Mandaue City.

d. Brevity has something to do with the quality or state of being

brief and concise.

Examples:
Wordy: The victim telephonically contacted the police station
right after the incident happened.

Concise: The victim called the police station after the

incident.
e. Fairness refers to exhibiting a disposition that is free of
favoritism, bias, impartiality, self-interest , or preference in
judgement.

Examples:

Biased: If a fireman couldn’t fireproof his own home how can he

save another man’s house?

Unbiased: If a firefighter couldn’t fireproof his or her home, how

can he or she save other people’s house?

f. Specificity is the quality of writing pertaining to being explicitly

definite and specific rather than general.

Examples:

Unspecific: She died of stab wounds.

Specific: She died of five stab wounds in her chest, and another
five stab wounds in her upper right rib cage.

6. The Basic Requirements of Police Report Writing, In police report

writing the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY, and HOW are the
most import questions that an investigator must take into consideration.
These questions basically cover the essentials of the whole process of
police report writing.
WHO?- this question answers all about the persons involve in the
investigation, their complete and correct names, and their exact
 addresses and contact numbers.
WHAT? – this question answers about what offenses are committed,
what kind of evidence was retrieved, what properties are stolen or
burglarized, and what are the possible motives of the crime.
WHERE? – this question answers about the geographical location of the
crime scene, the property, or the evidence that are related to the
incident.
WHEN? – this question answers about the exact time and date when the
offense was committed, the properties found, and the suspects
apprehended.
WHY? – this question answers about the objects or desire which
motivated the offense or the crime. For crime against persons, the
possible object of the attack might be: revenge, ransom, sexual
pleasure, or hatred. For crime against property, the possible object of the
attack might be: to obtain money to sustain vices, or simply to acquire
property.
HOW?- this question answers the general manner in which the crime
was committed.

1. Classes of Reports
a. Technical Reports- these are written reports dealing with technical and
specialized subjects.
b. Problem Determining Reports- these are written reports identifying the
existence and causes of certain problems. Examples of these are case reports
on Causes of Juvenile Delinquency, Causes of Drug Addiction, and causes of
Human Trafficking.
c. Problem Solution Reports- These are written reports identifying the
processes and solution of certain problems. Examples of these are case
studies on preventive measures against juvenile Delinquency, Drug Addiction
and Human Trafficking.
d. Fact-Finding Reports- These are written reports on the methods of logical
gathering and presentation of data. Examples of these reports about facts and
figures of terrorism, Drug trafficking, Human Trafficking, etc.
e. Performance Reports- these are written reports referring to information on
the status of the activity or operation within a unit or organization.

2. Categories of Reports, Foronda (2009) enumerated that reports are

categorized according to whether they are Operational, Internal Business or
Summary Reports.
a. Operational Reports- these are written reports about police incidents,
investigations, arrests, identification of persons, and other miscellaneous
reports for routine operations of police organization.
b. Internal Business Reports- these are written reports on financial, personnel,
purchase, equipment, property maintenance, and general correspondence
which are important in the agency or organization’s management.
c. Summary Reports- these are reports that are furnished for the necessity of
the solution of crime accident, and other police administrative-related
problems
3. Two General Types of Reports, there are two general types of police reports
as stated by Guevarra, et.al. (2008), these are the Basic of Informal reports,
and the Investigative or Formal Reports. These two types are elaborated
below:
a. Basic or Informal Report- these are reports that are mostly related with
ordinary, miscellaneous incidents, usually in letter or memorandum form.
These are accomplished by any member of a unit, section, bureau, or
division within a department in accordance with prescribed regulation.
Basically, these reports contain the generic format like the heading, the
person or office to whom it is addressed or submitted, the text or the body,
and the name of the writer or the source of the report.
b. Investigative or Formal Reports- these are reports that cover all the exact
and exhaustive narration of facts. These reports are classified as Initial or
Advance, progress or Follow-up, and Final or Closing Reports.
4. Specific Types of Police Report
a. Spot Report- this is a verbal or written report done within twenty-four hours
after an important incident. This report is written to inform an immediate
chief or those in higher position of particular occurrences in his command
responsibility. This report should be acted upon within 24 hours. In some
cases, a spot report may be in the form of radiographic message if the
reporting unit is far from the receiving office. The following are indicated in a
radiographic message: Originating office, Addressee, Cite numbers,
precedence actions, Precedence info, Date-time group, Text written in
capital letters.
b. Special report- this is written by a police unit or office based from a
directive or instruction from higher police officers. This type of report follows
the memorandum format of correspondence. The commander or chief signs
this report, or an authorized person signs if the commander is not around.
This report should contain the ‘rationale’ and the ‘action’. The rationale is
the specifications and details related to the problem, and the action is the
expected action or response the receiver or reader will do after reading the
report.
c. Beat Inspection Report/ After Patrol Reports- This is one of the widely
practiced written forms of communication in a station. This is a routine
report because the duty beat supervisor submits this report daily; those
assigned on beat inspection do their routine check on foot, while those on
patrol sectors use patrol cars. The Beat Inspection and After Patrol reports
use the memorandum format.
d. Wanted Person Report – Using the notice on wanted person, this report is
about those persons who are by the police. Information of wanted persons
are flashed on local and national television, as well as posted in
conspicuous areas as notice to the public. This report is done in four (4)
copies to be submitted to the following: to the PNP Provincial Director, or to
the PNP Chief in Camp Crame if the province is not under the provincial
commander, to the Department concerned which will have the original
copy, and the Rogues’ gallery will have the fourth copy.
e. Arrest Report – this is a report that documents all the events in arresting a
suspect including personal information, jail bookings, information about
control and release of prisoners, and court proceedings. This report is
based on information received, ensuring probable cause for warrant/
warrantless arrest.
f. Crime Report – these are reports written after the conclusion from
preliminary investigation that a crime truly happened. This report also
include important factors like corpus delicti (elements of the crime), suspect
descriptions, properties taken, evidences collected, property damages,
victims’ injuries, and suspects’ modus operandi.
g. Situation Report –Also known as SITREP, this is similar to patrol report
which is submitted every eight hours but on a need-only basis.
The Importance of SITREP
-Completing the SITREP covers all key aspects of community
survival.
- A structured message is easier to carry as a document or to
send over radio or the telephone.
-The SITREP can be copied to organizations with different
responsibilities, to initiate action and ensure that action is
coordinated.
SITREPs from various parts of an affected area can be used to
detect variations in general need and so assist in allocating
resources most effectively.
SITREPS form a record for the future of the actual situation and
the results of action to deal with.
h. Miscellaneous Incident Report also known as MI Report – this is used
to document any incident, situation, or circumstances that are nor 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.
i. Traffic Accident Report- this report is written by the officer who
 investigates the accident. This type of report documents all the facts and
information about any vehicular accident whether it is fatal or non-fatal. This
also examines the nature of the damage of any property, the location of the
accident and its causes. Included in this type of report are statements of
witnesses, diagrams, and photographs.
j. Investigation Report- written to investigate a particular case or crime. This
is an internal form of communication that requires the addressee, the
officer-on-case, and the chief of investigation section. The addressee of
investigation report is the chief or head of a police unit, the officer-on-case
will write and sign the report, and it will be noted by the chief investigation
section. An investigation report is important in court proceedings, the
prosecutor’s office can use this minor offenses and for determining whether
the accused is guilty or innocent.
5. Classification of investigation Report- there are three (3) classifications
of investigation report namely: the Initial or Advance report, the Progress or
Follow-up report, and the Final report.
a. Initial or Advance Report- this is an advance information on a new or
fresh case an investigator; the data in this report is not yet complete, but
it is written and immediately submitted after the preliminary investigation
of the case.
b. Progress report- this is a written narration of facts developed by the
investigator in the course of the follow-up investigation. This is a report
on subsequent details which are very vital to the case but have not
been incorporated in the initial report. This report shall be submitted
within three days after the initial report has been submitted, and
consequently a monthly report thereafter.
c. Final 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 circumstances of the case, and
the complete accumulate and collection of data.
6. Parts of an Investigation report- an investigation has the following parts:
Authority, Matters Investigated, Facts of the Case, Discussion, Conclusion
and Recommendations. Each of this part is elaborated as follows:
a. Authority- this 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.
b. Matters investigated- this 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.
c. Facts of the case- this part is the coherent presentation of all the
important facts supported by evidences involving the whole
investigation.
d. Discussion- this is the part 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.
e. Conclusion- this is the part 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.
f. Recommendation- this is the last part which is consistent with the
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.
7. Steps in Writing an Investigative Report- in order for an investigator to
write a good and complete report, he needs to follow certain steps, and
these steps are discussed below:
a. Initial Preparation- this is the first step of writing the investigation
report where the investigator determines his purposes and
objectives in writing the report. He the gathers the facts and
 circumstances related to the case.
b. Final Organization of the collected data- using chronological order,
all the gathered facts, and evidences, related to the case should be
sequentially presented.
c. Preparation of the first draft- just like the second step, the first draft
should also follow the chronological order or 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.
d. Rewriting and polishing the report- this is the step where the
investigator will recheck, edit, and review the rough draft to check
the errors, and goes on rewriting to improve the whole report.
e. Finalize the report- this is the last step where the investigator
prepares the final report based from the rewritten and corrected
draft.

1. Procedures for Making Blotter Entries

a. All entries in the police blotter shall be handwritten in a clear, concise
and simple manner but must answer as far as practicable, the 5W’s and
1H. Clarity should not be sacrificed for brevity.
b. Only facts, not opinions, are entered in the blotter.
c. No erasures shall be made on entries. Corrections are made by drawing
a horizontal line over such words or phrases and the actual entry
initiated by the police officer making the correction.
d. A ball pen with blue, black or blue-black ink is used for making the
entries.
e. Misinterpretation of the blotter or any attempt to suppress any
information is punishable criminally and administratively.
f. All entries must be legibly written in longhand and consecutively
numbered.
g. Every page of the blotter shall be consecutively or chronologically filled
in. no line or space shall be left blank between any two entries.
h. Any development of case reflected in the blotter should be a new entry
at the time and day it was reported. A reference to the previous entry
number of the case, however, should be made.
i. During every shift, the Duty Sergeant, under the supervision of the Duty
Officer or Complaint Desk Officer, shall make the actual entries on the
blotter and at the end of their tour duty, both the Duty Sergeant and
Duty Complaint Desk Officer shall sign the blotter.
2. Units Required and Supply Accountability of Police Blotter
a. A Police blotter should be maintained by a police station.
b. All PNP operating Units or Divisions in the Metropolitan police District,
together with the stations and substations, should maintain a separate
blotter.
c. The general Headquarters, Philippine National Police should supply
police blotters to each PNP command reflecting the same as
accountable items on their property books.
d. It is the responsibility of the PNP unit commander to properly maintain,
use, safe, keep and account the police blotter.
e. Police forces shall continue to use the present blotter, provided the
forms and rules should be followed.

BELOW IS A SAMPLE FORMAT OF A POLICE BLOTTER PAGE:

ENTRY DATE TIME EVENTS/ INCIDENTS DISPOSITION
NO.
3. Incident Reporting and Filling out of Incident record Form (IRF)
a. An entry of record in the Police Blotter shall not be done directly to the Police
Blotter book. The facts and information of a blotter entry shall at first be
recorded in the Incident Record Form, or IRF. Once it is assigned and
acknowledge by the Desk Officer and the Chief of Police, or his representative,
the data that were provided by the complainant or client in the IRF shall
entered and recorded in the Police Blotter Book.
b. As soon as a client or complainant enters the police station, and is ascertained
that his purpose is to file a complaint or to request a data in the Police Blotter,
the Duty officer of the Quality Service Lane (QSL) must accord the client with
due respect and politely ask the person the nature of his transaction. The
Incident Record Form (IRF) shall be made available to the client for him to fill
out.
c. The QSL Duty Officer shall at all times guide and assist the client in filling out
the form. In the event that the clients is illiterate or incapacitated to fill out the
IRF, the QSL Duty Officer shall do the same for him. The Chief of Police in the
station shall make available space in the police station where this process is
done, in the privacy outside the scrutiny of kibitzers.
d. Whenever the suspect of the complaint involves confidentiality, as in cases
involving protection of women and children, the QSL Duty Officer shall escort
the client to the female Duty Investigator of the Women and Children Protection
Desk (WCPD) where the filling out of the IRF shall be done. While the IRF
should be filled out by the complainant, the female police officer of the WCPD
may assist the complainant in doing so, with the latter providing the facts and
details of the case.
e. The first item to be filled out in the IRF is the general information about the
reporting person. It contains name, address, occupation, and other analogous
information that this general information be taken. The object of this is to
prevent an attempt of a client to mislead the police to record an event or crime
that did not occur, motivated by a client’s desire to later get an extract of the
Police blotter for purposes of an insurance claim, for example, or to tarnish the
personal record of another person by imputing the commission of a crime by
such person. The inclusion of his home and work addresses in the event that a
formal inquiry or investigation. The inclusion of his home and work addresses
in the event that a formal inquiry or investigation is subsequently ordered by the
Chief of Police.
f. The next item in the IRF is the data of the suspect. There are two(2) boxes in
this item which should be indicated with a tick mark before answering the data
under suspect. The first is whether there is no suspect or no crime was
committed. This is applicable for blotter entries where a client wants to put on
official record the loss of his Driver’s license, or Company identification card.
Once this is checked, proceed to the next item, which is the data of the victim.
The second box, however, should be indicated if there are suspects in the
incident. The data of the first suspect will be recorded on the IRF and those of
the second and subsequent suspects on a separate sheet of paper which will
the form an integral part of IRF.
g. The data in all items on the IR should be as specific and complete as possible.
The information indicated and brought forth in this item will be a very vital tool
of the Investigator-on-case (IOC), opportunity to indicate, as completely as
possible, any information and distinguishing features of the suspects in the
space provided thereon.
h. The third item on the IRF is the general information about the victim. It contains
the name, address, occupation, and other analogous information about the
 victim. It is important that this general information be recorded. The object of
this is for the investigator to easily locate the victim/complainant during court
trials if the case is filed in the court.
i. On the second page of the blotter form, the facts of the incidents should be
narrated by the complainant. It contains a narrative requirement that at the end
of the narration of every incident, the Duty Officer who recorded shall be place
his/her signature and of the complainant certifying the correctness of the
narration. Likewise, the last line of the paper should indicate that nothing
follows.
j. After the form is authenticated, an Incident Record transaction Receipt, cut
form the lower end of the IRF, is given to the complainant who confirms that the
reporting person had completed a transaction with the police office concerned
and reported an incident.
k. For purposes of standardization, all stations should only maintain an official
Police blotter and an official police blotter IRF. As such, it is discouraged, and
is henceforth unauthorized, that logbook, notebook, or any materials be used.
l. Thereafter, it is the duty of the police officer who is in charge of the Police
Blotter to lodge the complaint to the proper investigator who will handle the
case. The investigator should interview the complainant on the nature of his
complaint and ensure that all entries therein are complete to prevent
duplication and relieve the complainant from repeating his narration.
m. Check the necessary documents in support of the complaint, if needed. If there
are documents submitted, the same shall be attached and will form part of the
IRF.
n. Make sure that all the information gathered is truthful and exact in its
documentation.
o. In the event that the complainant desires to amend or make supplemental of
his complaint, the investigator shall inform the officer-in-charge of the blotter to
make the necessary corrections and state therein that it amends or
supplements the previous report and shall place the signature both of the
complainant and the officer-in-charge of the blotter.

4. Procedures for recording Incident Report in the Police Blotter

a. The crime incident report recorded in the IRF, after the transaction with the
reporting person has concluded, shall be transcribed and entered into the
police blotter by the desk officer of the police station. For those police stations
equipped with the crime incident reporting system, popularly known as the e-
blotter, the designated crime registrar will likewise enter the record into the
system.
b. Blotter entry reports serve as a permanent record of incidents, events,
problems, and so forth. There are many types of reports, each of which serves
different functions. A police blotter is used to keep people informed of activities
within the police jurisdiction. It is also used to compile statistical information,
identify problems in the community, or identify police training needs. These
reports are needed to facilitate investigations, prepare court case or defend
case in court.
c. The narrative written in the IRF shall basically be record that shall be
transcribed in the Police blotter. While it is narrative form, it is prudent,
however, to list down some necessary information in the Police Blotter in
itemized or outline form. This shall answer the necessary requirements of the
five W’s and one H.
d. The following questions should be answered as a guide to writing the report:
1. Who was involved?
2. When did it take place?
3. Where did it take place?
4. What happened?
5. Why did it happened?
6. How did it happen?
e. As soon as the incident is transcribed in the police blotter, the desk officer and
the reporting person shall sign the police blotter. It should be indicated under
the name and signature of the reporting person his address, home telephone
 number, mobile phone number, and identification card presented. In the event
that the reporting person indicates that he does not want his contact details to
be recorded in a public record as the police blotter, by reason of privacy, the
same should not be recorded, as a matter of respect to the said person’s rights,
but indicated in IRF.
f. Any violation of this SOP shall be dealt with administratively as may be
warranted by evidence. All Unit commanders shall be included in the
investigation under the principle of command responsibility. If evidence further
warrants, criminal complaints shall also be filed against those who may have
committed acts or omissions contrary to the revised penal code or any special
penal statutes.

Types of Police Records- the records management personnel is expected to familiarize

himself with different types of police records. The types of police records are: Case records,
Arrest and Booking records, identification Records, Administrative Records, Miscellaneous
Records.

a. Case Reports-these are records consisting of complaints or assignment sheets

which are considered as document source for analyzing crimes. These are the
foundation record of any police department, and written by the desk officer who
makes the complaint or assignment sheet. Case records are classified as
Investigative reports, technical reports, wanted person report, daily record of
events.
Procedures for Filing Case Reports:
1. Felony reports, serious accident reports (including all investigation report),
and case report are filed periodically.
2. Minor disturbances like drunkenness and disorderly conduct does not
require extensive reporting.
3. Case reports will be filed according to case number, regardless of the
type of complaint, persons involved, or date of incidents.
4. Case numbers should appear on the daily bulletin or other control
summary to provide supervisory personnel with means of ensuring prompt
submission of reports.
b. Arrest and Booking Records- the completion of the arrest report is the
responsibility of arresting officer, as this report is a requirement for preparing
arrest and booking records. The arrest record is written in three (3) copies
together with the booking sheet. These copies are to be forwarded to: Central
record unit )original copy), Fiscal or Clerk of Court (second copy), and Fiscal or
Clerk of Court with the complaint or other supporting document (third copy)
Procedures for Filing Arrest Reports
1. Upon receiving the arrest notification, the dispatcher issue a case
report number and arrest number, he will then mark the dispatch form
to show that an arrest has been done.
2. The Report-review Officer reviews the dispatch information and data
by identifying and matching incoming cases and reports.
3. The Booking and detention officers will maintain an alphabetical jail
population or census files with all jail copies of arrest/booking reports
and other necessary forms and notices.
4. The booking and detention officers will maintain a local-count-date
suspense file containing copies of the report-control index cards.
5. For control purposes, the court liaison personnel will also maintain a
department-wide-court-appearance chart.
6. The detention officer should release on proper authority and obtain
the signature to whom the prisoner is released.
c. Identification Records- these are records of fingerprint identification which is
done in two (2) copies. The first copy is filed in the central record of the police
station, and the second copy is forwarded to the headquarters of the National
Bureau of Investigation. Identification record is classified as follows: Personal
records, Correspondence Files, Memoranda, Orders, Policy Files and
Assignment Record.
 d. Miscellaneous Records- these are records that are not necessarily related to
any complaints. Below are the examples of these records:
1. Records from the Immigration Commission
2. Records of City, Municipal, and Barangay Officials
3. Records of Organizations like Unions, Cooperatives, Social Groups
and Religious Sectors.
4. Records of army camps and centers
5. Records of Ordinance and laws
6. Records of Private Security Agencies
1. Police Records Management- police records pertain to all written materials such as
books, papers, maps, photographs, documentaries, that in ways are written or
received by any law enforcement agency that serve its legal purposes (Agsalda,
2007). It is essential that agency should have a clear knowledge on how to manage
records properly. Examples of police records that should be managed properly are:
Agreements, Documents, all forms of Police reports, Police Blotters, Logbooks,
Transcripts, Arrest Book, Press Release, and Traffic records. The Police Records
Administrative Management Operations is responsible with the creation, protection,
retrieval, preservation, and retention of records and information.
2. Supervision of Reports- the records supervisory personnel needs to adhere to the
following standards: Assure good reports, set up good recording standards so that
all will know what is expected of them, set up a system of spot-checking to ensure
that corrections are being made to assure uniformity, protect the reputation of the
department and its offices.
Furthermore, the supervisory personnel may use the Ticker system which
is a 3x5 index card showing basic data, dates, etc. and to whom it was assigned.
The card is filed behind the officer’s name in the card index box. This system also
assures a regular check on each pending case. He may also utilize the Assignment
record which shows the cases assigned to each officer, and should include record of
reports submitted. All reports should be read and signed by the supervisory official,
and that no report can be filed until approved by the supervisor.
3. Duties of Record Element Personnel- the records personnel who are assigned in
identification have certain task in the completion of arrest, booking and filing. Below
are the specific duties of these personnel:
a. They are responsible in issuing a central booking number of request.
b. They complete the Central Booking Register with all the required
information.
c. They identify prior departmental arrest and conduct a wanted check for
all names or aliases used by the arrestee after the completion and
approval of the register entry.
d. They notify immediately the appropriate detention officer if a “stop
order”, ‘wanted card” of “detainee” for another agency is found of the
subject.
e. They prepare a new criminal history record for every arrested person
with no prior record on file by noting current case information. In
instances where a criminal history record is already on file should be
updated.
f. They notify the communication center for every cancellation of wanted
or missing persons message, also with the apprehension of such
person, or the receipt of wanted messages concerning suspected
persons to be in or near the jurisdiction.
g. They maintain personal identification files like: Photographic file, crime
scene photographic file, wanted and missing person’s file and warrant
file.
4. The Decimal System of Reports- the decimal system of reporting is the basic
numbering systems which entire major files is identified with. There are three basic
numbering system, they are follows:
a. Case Reports Number- this is the control number assigned by the
dispatchers for all police reports like traffic accidents, crimes, and non-
criminal situations. Case report numbers are important because of the
following reasons: it aids in the speedy and official recording of cases, it
lessens discrepancies in the original request; time of occurrence and
notification of the police ; it helps ensure the exact matches of sequence
 of case numbers with the order of cases brought to the police; and it
helps the external audit control in avoiding unreported, lost or misfiled
cases.
b. Arrest report number- this is the number issued to arrested and booked
persons who committed criminal offenses or traffic violations. However
this is not issued to persons who commit minor offenses, or those who
just go to the station to post bond. Case report number is also termed as
central booking number issued by the dispatcher, or arrest and personal
identification unit through the dispatchers. After the duty officer write the
arrest report, he will assign the arrest number as well as the case number
of the rep[ort. A new arrest number will be assigned to a person each
time he is arrested.
c. Identification Numbers- this is the number issued by those assigned in
the arrest and personal identification service detail. This number is given
once to an arrested person when he is fingerprinted and photographed.
5. Standard Police Record Procedures and Filing System- proper filing of records is
very important because it helps in the preservation of documents, and more
specifically on the preservation of criminal records which will be used for future
references. Below are the standard police record procedures and filing system:
a. Permanent written record shall be made of each crime immediately upon
receipt of the complaint.
b. Proper control shall be made upon the receipt of a complaint to ensure
that it is promptly recorded and accurately tabulated.
c. Investigative report shall be rendered in each case showing the details of
the offense as alleged by the complainant and as disclosed by the police
investigation, effective follow up system shall be adopted to ensure that
all reports are promptly submitted in all cases.
d. All reports shall be checked to see that the crime classification conforms
to the classification of the offense.
e. The offense or complaint report on crime cleared by arrest shall be noted
as cleared.
f. Arrest records shall be complete, and special care is being taken to show
the final disposition of all charges.
g. All records shall be centralized.
h. Records and statistical reports shall be closely supervised by the Station
Commander.
i. Periodic inspection shall be made to see the rules and regulations of the
local agency relative to records creation and maintenance are strictly
complied with.
j. Statistical records shall conform in all aspects to the uniform crime
reporting standards and regulations.
6. Philippine National Police Uniform Crime Periodic Reporting- to promote
consistency in the recording of crime incidence, these guidelines prescribe a uniform
procedure for the Philippine National Police in reporting and collecting crime data
including cases reported to other law enforcement agencies involved in the Criminal
Justice System. Further, these data shall be the working basis for policies and
programs on various anti-criminality measures.

For the past years, generating statistical crime date on various crimes committed in the
regions/provinces has been growing concern of the Philippine National Police (PNP). To
address this issue, two (2) mechanisms were in place such as: The National Crime
Reporting System (NCRS), which is concerned more with the details of the crime, to wit;
victim’s data, offender’s data, among others, while crime statistics gathered through the
Police Regional office Periodic Report (PROPER) is mainly concerned simply with
WHAT HAPPENED, WHERE, TO WHOM, WGY and the results of investigation.
The PNP, as the premier law enforcement agency, needs an accurate
statistical crime data for both administrative and operational decisions. The data
gathered from the regions/provinces play an important role to the PNP’s overall
assessment of crime trends and for determining the pattern of crime activity in the
country. If the problem on gathering/generating the crime situation is not properly
addressed, the PNP cannot present an accurate situation of the country.
The following procedures shall prescribe the guidelines in the conduct of
Crime Reporting for purposes of obtaining an accurate data for interpretation.

1. The adoption of consistent and accurate crime recording standard shall

require the unconditional commitment of the Chiefs of Police,
Provincial/District/City and the Regional Directors. The IDM Officers shall
continuously ensure that the crime recording is clearly articulated of such
system are understood.
2. All line units should seek to gather, collate and record all crime-related
incidents so as to establish an accurate and timely picture of what is
happening locally.
3. The police blotter shall serve as the main source of crime data fro
submission and shall be the basis for preparing and accomplishing the
Unit Periodic Report and NCRS Form 1.
4. Crime date from other stakeholders and law enforcement agencies shall
be recorded into the police blotter.
5. It is envisioned that all future incidents and crime recording systems
should be fully integrated or at least linked to facilitate tracking and audit
between the systems.
6. The Chief of Police must ensure that crime data are gathered from
sources such as: Barangay, NBI, PDEA, BFAR, DENR, DSWD, BUCUS,
BI and other agencies with law enforcement functions in the locality.
7. Unit commanders shall appoint a crime register who shall be responsible
consolidating and maintaining crime data files of each unit to ensure
consistency and continuity.
8. The Chief of Police is primarily responsible for the maintenance of
accurate crime data. Accuracy and integrity of crime recording process
must be ensured by the chief of Investigation Section and Crime registrar.

Procedures
1. Recording
a. Incident Reports
As a general rule, all crime incidents, whether reported by the victims,
witnesses or third parties must be recorded in the police blotter, even
under the following circumstances:
a.1 when the offender is ill and is unlikely to recover or is too senile
or too mentally disturbed for proceedings to take place.
a.2 When the complainant or an essential witness is dead and the
proceedings cannot be pursued.
a.3 When the victim or an essential witness refuses, or is permanently
unable to stand as a witness; and
a.4 The victim or complaint or witness are minor

2. Counting Mechanism
The following rules shall apply in the counting of crime incidents:

a. Murder cases (Art. 248, RPC) shall include those that were
consummated only. Infanticide (Art. 255, RPC) and Parricide (Art. 246,
PRC) cases shall be counted as murder case. Killings perpetrated by
insurgents and/or terrorists must be included. Attempted and
Frustrated cases of murder, infanticide and parricide are counted as
physical injury cases if indeed the victim(s) was injured. Otherwise,
these cases shall be counted as non-index crimes.
b. Homicide- (Art. 249, RPC). Similarly, only consummated homicide
cases are to be counted. Attempted and Frustrated homicide cases
which result to injuries to the victim(s) are counted as physical injury
 cases. Otherwise, these cases shall be counted as non-index crimes.
c. Serious and Less Serious Physical Injuries- (Art. 263, 264 and 265,
RPC). In addition to actual physical injury cases, incidents perpetrated
by/or involving insurgents/terrorists which resulted to the wounding of
the victim(s) must also be counted.
d. Robbery- (Art. 293, RPC). Only consummated robbery cases and
robbery in band are to be counted.
e. Carnapping- (RA 6539) – Only consummated carnapping cases are to
be recorded.
f. Cattle Rustling (PD 533)- Only consummated cases shall be recorded.
g. Theft (Art 308, RPC)- Only consummated theft cases are to be
counted.
h. Rape (Art. 335, RPC and RA 8353). Only consummated and statutory
rapes shall be included.
i. Suicide shall not be counted as crime.
j. For compound and complex crimes, only the most serious offense
should be counted. (Principal crime rule)
k. The reported incident shall be counted as a crime after validation by
the investigation officer that there is such an incident constituting a
crime.
l. Infractions involving violations of provincial/city/municipal and
barangay ordinances shall not be counted.
m. Violations of the Revised Penal Code and Special Laws which are to
be settled at the Barangay (Under PD 1508 as amended by local
government code of 1991 and Supreme Court administrative circular
no. 14-93) shall be recorded separately.
n. Crime incident/s under RA 9344 or the Juvenile Justice Act where
absolute confidentially of the parties and the documents are provided
shall be recorded. Data from local DSWD office shall be collated.
o. For purposes of generating separate statistics of all offenses arising
from violations of traffic rules and regulations, the traffic investigation
section/division shall assume responsibility in recording all traffic
offenses and submit the same to the crime registrar for data
integration in the crime statistics.

3. Crime registrar (CR)

To ensure that a consistent crime recording standard is
maintained within the PNP, each unit shall appoint a crime registrar. The
registrar shall ensure the proper accomplishment of NCRS form-1 in
accordance to NAPOLCOM resolution 92-39.

4. What to Report/ Submit

All PNP units must submit their Unit Crime periodic Report
(UCPER) with corresponding analysis, interpretation and complete
attachment as required in the original PROPER. The said report shall be
accomplished by the reporting unit as stated below to be submitted on
the dates indicated in these guidelines.