TECHNICAL REPORT WRITING AND PRESENTATION 1

Unit I – Fundamentals of Report Writing

One of the basic tasks of researchers /investigators is writing reports. Report is defined as an account of any
occurrence prepared after a thorough study or investigation. It could also be an account or statement
describing in detail of an event, situation or it is a result of observation or inquiry.
REPORTS and POLICE REPORT WRITING:
REPORT

- is a general term for a document that provides information about a specific event, situation, or topic.
It can be written for various purposes;

POLICE REPORT WRITING

-is a specific type of report that is written by law enforcement officers to document an incident or
crime. It serves as a formal record;

-is a specific type of report with a standardized format and specific purpose, used by law enforcement
for official purposes.

The Nature of Police Report Writing

Basically, report is defined as an objective statement of the findings of an investigator; this
is an official record of the information that is relevant to an investigation. Hence, a good report
plays an important role in the success of any investigation (Bajado – Nano & Pioquinto, 2014).

On the other hand, Police Report deals with story of action performed by police personnel.
It is a chronological or step-by-step account of an incident that transpired in a given time, at a
given place. It is also defined as an account of some subjects specifically investigated, or an
official statement of facts. A police report is a result from the fact that someone has asked for
them and needs them for immediate or future use. In any event, police report writing has become
one of the most significant processes in modern police operations.

KEY ASPECTS:

1. Official and Legal Document - formal document used as evidence in court and legal
proceeding.

2. Factual and objective - present facts based on observations, witness statements, and
evidence.

3. Detailed and structured - follow a structured format, including information such as the
date, time etc.

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MS. RAMELYN B. HUAGON, RCrim.
Instructor
 TECHNICAL REPORT WRITING AND PRESENTATION 1
4.Investigative Tool - provide a foundation for further investigation, helping detectives,
prosecutors, and other law enformcement officers understand the case.

5. Official Reocrd for Documentation - help maintain records of crimes, accidents, and
other law enforcement activities.

6. Confidential and sensitive - contains sensitive information, requiring restricted access to

protect victims, witnesses, and the integrity of an investigation.

7. Used for Decision- Making - aid law enforcement agencies, courts, and other
stakeholders in making informed decisions regarding arrest, charges, and legal actions.

Qualities of a Good Police Report (Petalvo-Ballares, Marilyn, et al.)

All police reports must contain certain qualities, which can be categorized as:

Accurate. This means that the police report is in exact conformity to fact (errorless). A fact is
something that has been objectively verified. Facts must be reported correctly and without error.
If it’s a criminal incident report, the elements of the crime are a must for accuracy. One must
restrict his/her report to the facts of the incident as one saw it or as victim/s and witness/es
reported them. One must accurately report the conditions of the scene as he/she found them.

Clear. The language and format in one’s police report must be simple and direct to the point.
Clear means plain or evident to the mind of the reader. The writer should use simple words so the
reader will know exactly what the reader needs to know. Avoid using words that have double
meanings, slang, jargon and unnecessary abbreviations.

Complete. A report must answer the “who”, what, when, where, why and how questions (5W’s
and 1H). It must also contain the elements of the offense. Proper note-taking techniques can
assure one to write complete reports.

Concise. This means that the police report says much with a few words as possible.
Conciseness relates to the elimination of unnecessary words and does not mean short. Writing
concise reports includes using active voice, avoiding wordiness, eliminating unnecessary words,
prepositional phrases, and using ordinary and commonly understood words. Most sentences in
police reports consists of 12 to 15 words.

Factual. A report must be factual. A fact is something that has been objectively verified and is
presented objectively. One must report the facts correctly and without error. Avoid reporting
opinions, inferences (drawing conclusions), suppositions (assumptions of truth), or hearsay as
though they were facts.

Objective. One must remember that there are always two sides to every story and both sides
have the right to be told. The investigation must not be influenced by emotion, personal prejudice
or opinion. The investigator must collect and report the facts in an objective and professional
manner.

Prompt. A report must be completed in a timely manner and submitted at the soonest possible
time. One’s credibility may be open to speculation if this quality of police report is not followed.
Prepared by: 2
MS. RAMELYN B. HUAGON, RCrim.
Instructor
 TECHNICAL REPORT WRITING AND PRESENTATION 1

Steps in Report Writing Process (Petalvo-Ballares, Marilyn, et al.

Police Report Writing is a five step process. During the investigation, one must complete each of
the steps, or else, the final report will lack substance.

Interviewing
It is designed as asking somebody a series of questions to gather information. This is
considered as the first step of the process. The investigator’s interview of the victim/s, witness/es,
and suspect/s is the backbone of the preliminary investigation.
Normally, the first officer of the crime scene has the best opportunity to conduct
interviews. If the officer fails to conduct a successful interviews, his/her actions on preliminary
investigation is incomplete.

Note Taking
It means brief notation concerning specific events while fresh in one’s mind and used to
prepare a report. An investigator must take notes to assist his/her memory with specific details,
such as names, date of birth, serial numbers, addresses and phone numbers.

Neat and accurate notes add to one’s credibility and demonstrate one’s high level of
proficiency and professionalism. Since notes are made of all pertinent information during an
investigation, they would be of great help especially when an investigator is subpoenaed or
summoned to appear in court.

Organizing
It means to arrange the components of something in a way that it creates a particular
structure. Since during the note taking, all the information gathered are fragments, the
investigator must organize these information into logical manner. The sequence of events must
be followed in order to portray the incident clearly.

Writing the Narrative

In this stage is the preparation of the report. The task is not only to express your ideas,
but to make an impression upon the mind of the reader as well. In other words, you must write for
the benefit of the reader. Place yourself in the reader’s position, and try to visualize their interest,
their knowledge of the subject and their dependence upon the report.
Writing the narrative should be the easiest part of report writing. Before you begin writing
the narrative, stop and think about what you have done and what you have yet to do.

Proofreading
To proofread, ask yourself the following questions: Is this report the best I can do? Do I
want this to be read by the Chief of Police? (Is there anything else I can do to make it better?)
Most officers are just thankful to have finished the reports and don’t take additional moment to
review their works. Think about whom else is going to read the report.

Guidelines in Police Report Writing (Petalvo-Ballares, Marilyn, et al.).

Prepared by: 3
MS. RAMELYN B. HUAGON, RCrim.
Instructor
 TECHNICAL REPORT WRITING AND PRESENTATION 1
A. Word Usage
Police officers from all over the country tend to use similar words and phrases. But you
should always make sure that you know the correct definition and spelling of the words you will
use in your reports.
Slang is usually a nonstandard vocabulary developed by a group o people. It may be a
street slang, criminal slang, or police slang. It is inappropriate to use slang in your report, unless
you are quoting someone’s statements; and
Jargon is usually a specialized language of a profession. Criminal justice professionals,
just like other professionals, use a great deal of jargons. You should avoid using of jargons in
your report.

B. Tone (First Person and Third Person)

You may write your report in either first person or third person style. Both are acceptable.
First person writing style is preferred and the most widely used. You are referring to
yourself as an active participant.
The alternative to first person is the Third person writing style. You refer yourself as an
assigned officer, the undersigned or this officer. Usually, department policy specifies which style
to use. Police reports should be written in an easily understandable style. The Philippine National
Police organization caters to the Third-Person writing style.

C. The Contents of a Police Report (5Ws and 1H)

The police officer needs not to be genius to write a good police report. If the officer
obtains responses for the six interrogative questions, his report is complete.

WHO. It refers to the complete and correct name. Wrong name usually results in failure to locate
a witness or apprehend a suspect. The spelling of the name of witness/es, victim/s and suspect/s
should be correct. Name including middle name must be exact. It also refers to exact home
address, be it residence or a hotel, and telephone address.

WHAT. It refers to what type of property was attacked, e.g. building, residence, alley, vacant lot,
etc.
It refers to what type of property was stolen, lost or found. What items related to the crime
were found at the crime scene. An accurate description of all such properties stolen, lost or found
should be entered in the notes.
It refers to what offense was committed, e.g. murder, homicide, rape, physical injuries,
robbery, theft, and violation of special laws.
It refers also to what type of evidence was found or recovered.

WHERE. It concerned with the geographical location of the crime scene, property or evidence.

WHEN. It refers to the date and time when the offense was committed; property found, suspect
apprehended, etc.

WHY. It refers to the object or desire which motivated the offense. If it’s crime against person, the
object of the attacked might be revenge, ransom, or sexual pleasure. If it’s crime against
property, the reason may be to acquire money and property.

Prepared by: 4
MS. RAMELYN B. HUAGON, RCrim.
Instructor
 TECHNICAL REPORT WRITING AND PRESENTATION 1
HOW. It refers to the general manner in which the crime was committed.
Generally, the “who”, “when”, and “where” appear at the beginning of the report. The
reader needs to know the person/s involved, the date and time the incident happened, and the
location at which it took place. “What” happened is usually unfolded throughout the report. The
“how” is closely related to the what. The “why” belongs to before or after the what, depending on
the situations. These six questions cover the essentials of many typical police report.
A police report is written because a crime is committed, and an investigation of it is made.
If the writer has failed to ask important questions during in the investigation and/ or failed to note
the important details in his/her field note or tickler, then the investigator is in for an incomplete
report, which understandably will be unreliable.

Purposes of Police Reports (Foronda, 2009)

1. To serve as the raw materials from which records system are made.
2. To reveal as part of the component of the record system, the direct relationship between the
efficiency of the department and the quality of its reports and reporting procedures. 3. To guide
police administrators for policy formulation and decision making. 4. To serve as a gauge/yardstick
for efficiency evaluation of police officers. 5. To guide prosecutors and courts in the trial of
criminal cases investigated by the police.

Important Uses of Police Report (Foronda, 2009)

1. It serves as records for police administration in planning, directing, and organizing the unit’s
duties.
2. It can be used as legal documents in the prosecution of criminals.
3. It can be utilized by other agencies.
4. It can be useful to tri-media for public information purposes.
5. It can be utilized for research purposes.
6. It can improve the personality of the writer/investigator.

Prepared by: 5
MS. RAMELYN B. HUAGON, RCrim.
Instructor