TECHNICAL REPORT WRITING REVIEW NOTES

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION TO TECHNICAL REPORT WRITING

• Investigative Report Writing embraces the knowledge in correspondence,

investigation and law.
• Report writing includes but not limited to the preparation of investigation report,
memorandum, letters, office orders or any form of written communication, either
in the plain or coded languages.
• It is the medium through which the communicator expresses his/her ideas.

Rationale of Report Writing:

• The ability to write reports effectively is advantageous in any profession, most
especially in the police service because “every police action taken must be
followed by a written report.”
• The concept of the investigative report writing is to establish a language that
could be adopted to reach the levels of the formal and informal dictions.
1. Formal Diction
2. Informal Diction

History of Technical Report Writing

A. Antiquity
• The earliest examples of technical writing belong to Aristotle (384–322 BC).
• Archaeologists managed to retrieve short examples of his technical writings,
including a dictionary of philosophic terms and a summary of the “Doctrines of
Pythagoras”.
• Aristotle’s works are considered the earliest forms of technical writing.
B. Middle Ages
• The first example of a technical document published in English was created by
Geoffrey Chaucer (1343–1400).
• It was a scientific treatise on the astrolabe.
• That work brought him fame during his lifetime as an author, philosopher and
astronomer.
C. Renaissance
• Many inventions, including that of the mechanical printing press in the 15th
century, created a need to chronicle new technologies.
• Famous inventors and scientists like Leonardo da Vinci (1452 – 1519) and Isaac
Newton (1642–1727) compiled documents with their inventions and findings.
• Those documents played a crucial role in developing modern forms of technical
writing and communication.
D. Age of Reason
• More complex inventions had been made during the Industrial Revolution.
• Unlike the past, when skills were handed down through oral traditions, the writers
who could document these devices were desired.
E. 20 Century
th

• The golden age of technical writing began with World War I, when the nuclear
technologies had been updated and the advances in medicine and aerospace
technologies had been made.
 • After World War II, technological advances led to an increase in consumer
goods and standards of living.
• During the post-war time libraries, universities and transport systems saw massive
amounts of growth, and the need for writers to chronicle these processes
increased.
F. 21st Century
• Written Communications done on the job, especially in fields with specialized
vocabularies, such as science, engineering, technology, law enforcement and
health services.
• Technical Writing is also done for the purpose of educating, informing, directing
someone on how to do something.
• It is often detail-oriented and usually involves writing within fields where
advanced knowledge is required.

PURPOSES OF POLICE REPORT WRITING

Just like other written public documents, police reports should be written efficiently
because it has the following purposes (PNP Standard Operating Procedure No. 2012-
01):
1. To serve as the official document and permanent record of incidents in the
community;
2. To compile statistical information and identify problems in the community.
3. To facilitate investigations, prepare and defend court cases including prosecution of
offenders; and
4. To identify training needs of the members of the Philippine National Police.

IMPORTANT USES OF POLICE REPORT WRITING

Just like other forms of writing, police report writing has the following important uses
(Soriano, 2005):
1. Serve as records for police administrators in planning, directing, and organizing the
unit's duties and functions:
2. Use as legal documents in the prosecution of offenders;
3. Use as basis by law enforcement agencies and other government and private
organizations;
4. Provide information to the media, which need access to public documents;
5. Be a basis for research; and
6. Reflect the competence and personality of the police writer regarding his written
work.

THE 5WS AND 1H OF POLICE REPORTS

What are the uses and purposes of the 5Ws and H?
1. Aid the investigator in searching the crime scene or other places which maybe
sources of evidence.
2. Guide the investigator in formulating questions in interviewing complainant,
witnesses and other interested parties or in the process of interrogating a suspect.
3. Assists the investigator and the desk officer in making brief statements of facts in the
logbook/police blotter and in reports.
4. Help the investigator in preparing the Modus Operandi report – How was the crime
perpetrated?
5. Assist the investigator in furnishing a brief and concise criminal investigation report.

A. WHO QUESTIONS: These are questions used to inquire on the identity of the victims or
offended party, name of suspect, accomplices, accessories and witnesses of the
crime.
B. WHAT QUESTIONS: The purpose of these types of questions is to find out what
happened or what took place before, during and immediately after the commission
of the offense.
C. WHERE QUESTIONS: These are questions that localize the place of the incident- the
city or town, the district or barangay, the street or road, the number of the house or
building. Where questions are necessary in specifically pinpointing the particular
location of the crime scene.
D. WHEN QUESTIONS: These are questions needed to determine and fix the time, day,
month and year when the crime was committed. When questions should be
specified and as accurate as possible.
E. WHY QUESTIONS: These are questions that endeavor to ascertain the motives,
causes, antecedents, previous, incidents, related facts, background occurrences
that might help explain the commission of the offense.
F. HOW QUESTIONS: These are designed to help the investigator determine how the
crime was committed, the means/tools are employed, the crime was discovered,
and the culprit enters the building/room. How questions are very significant in
preparing the modus operandi file or report.

CHARACTERISTICS OF AN EFFECTIVE POLICE REPORT WRITING

1. Accurate and Specific
Police reports should be accurate and specific. Accurate means not only being exact,
but also non-commission of errors. Words presented must be precise and correct. The
report must be free from mistakes or errors; a kin to accuracy is specificity. The use of
specific words in conveying ideas most clearly to the readers is very important. In order
to achieve accuracy and specificity, all forms of correspondences and reports should
be thoroughly edited in spelling, punctuation, standard format, sentence structure,
mechanics, and grammar, among others.

2. Brief and Concise

Police reports should be brief and concise. This means that reports should be short or
economy of words. Use necessary words only as you retain the natural tone of your
sentences, Superiors are always busy and they do not have the luxury of time reading
wordy and long reports. Conversely, being brief and concise does not mean deleting
important words to make your report short, but write forcefully when using three or more
words where only one word is sufficient Good writers impress their readers with ideas,
not words. In order to make your reports brief and concise, avoid the use of redundant
or superfluity, jargons, triteness, and misleading euphemisms, among others.

3. Clear and Complete

Police reports should be clear and complete. This means that the report is free from
confusion and ambiguity, and is easily understood. The report should include all
necessary information such as the 5Ws and 1H (Who, What: When Where. Why, and
How) All the elements of the crime are also included in the report including
attachments, enclosures, and results of medico-legal and other examinations released
by the PNP Crime Laboratory and other PNP recognized hospitals and organizations
Moreover, this also means that the idea in the mind of the sender should correspond to
the idea formed in the mind of the message receiver. Any incongruence in the
interpretation of the message between the sender and the receiver results to
miscommunication. in order to achieve clarity and completeness, use simple words to
assure understanding. Avoid also the use of general words, abstract words, weak
phrases, gender-biased words, unwittingly language transference, colloquialism, and
slang, among others. Finally, provide the necessary information and pertinent
documents required to support the facts.

4. Factual and Objective

Police reports should be factual and objective. The report contains only facts, not
hearsays. A fact is a thing that has actually happened or that is really true. Being
objective is not injecting his/her own bias or prejudice into the report. The police writer
should be fair and impartial in conducting investigation and gathering facts and pieces
of evidence. To do this, the police writer may properly quote statements from sources
without adding prejudices and conclusions In order to be factual and objective, focus
on the facts. Avoid getting opinions and personal judgments in order not to be partial
and subjective.

5. Well-organized and Grammatically Correct

Police reports should be well organized and grammatically correct Chronological order
is usually used in organizing and writing the facts in police reports. It is also important to
follow the standard format and required specifications prescribed by the PNP such as
official font style which is Arial and font size is 12 including quality paper, proper and
clean printing, format, spacing, margin, and indention, among others. Police reports, on
the other hand, should also be grammatically correct Aside from the fact that the
report is written using the proper form and arrangement of words and sentence
structures, it should also be edited before submitting to the higher authorities. Avoid also
the use of full uppercase or full lowercase all throughout the document especially if it is
not necessary to do so. In order to achieve that, follow proper rules in police report
writing including standard format specifications. Before you submit your report, you let
someone check the grammar, sentence structures, spelling, punctuation,
capitalization, and content of the report, among others.

CHAPTER II: GRAMMAR AND MECHANICS

A. GRAMMAR
• A set of patterns for how words are put together to form phrases or clauses,
whether spoken or in writing.
• Is a way of talking about the relationship of words; or, more specifically grammar
is a way of talking about the relationship of word functions.

Parts of Speech
A. NOUN
• Name of a person, animal, place, thing or idea.
 a. Common Noun
b. Proper Noun
c. Collective Noun
d. Compound Noun
e. Concrete Noun
f. Abstract Noun
g. Countable Noun
h. Uncountable Noun

PROPERTIES OF NOUNS
GENDER NUMBER CASE PERSON
Masculine Gender Singular Nominative First Person
Subjective
Feminine Gender Objective Second Person
Common Gender Plural Third Person
Neuter Gender

Property of Noun: CASE

1. A noun is in NOMINATIVE CASE if it is the subject of the verb.
e.g. My friend is intelligent.
2. A noun is in OBJECTIVE CASE if it is used as object in the sentence.
e.g. The pen is on the table.
3. A noun is in POSSESIVE CASE if it denotes ownership or possession.
e.g. Sara’s brother joins the party.

B. PRONOUN- A word used instead of noun. It is a noun substitute.

Nominative Objective Possessive

Singular Plural Singular Plural Singular Plural

1st Person I We me us My, mine Our, ours

2nd Person you you you you Your, yours Your, yours

3rd Person He They Him Them His Their, theirs

She They Her Them Her, hers Their, theirs
it They it them its

PROPERTIES OF PRONOUNS
GENDER NUMBER PERSON
Masculine Gender Singular First Person
(He, Him, His) (I, He, She) - I , me, we, us, our
(My, His, Her) Second Person
Feminine Gender - You, Your, Yours
(She, Her, Hers) Third Person
Common Gender Plural - He, she, it, his, her
(They, Our, Us) (We, Our, Ours)
(They, Their, Them)
Neuter Gender
(It, Its)

C. VERB- a word that denotes an action.

Ordinary Form
1. Present Tense – it denotes customary action or present state of being.
• I go to church every five o’ clock in the afternoon.
• I am the teacher of this class.

2. Past Tense – it denotes customary past action, or an action or condition at a

definite past time.
• She had a terrible asthma when she was a kid.
• I attended a seminar yesterday.

3. Future Tense – it denotes an action to be done.

• I will go to Cebu for the PCAP convention.

Progressive Form
1. Present Progressive Tense – it is formed by using am, is, or are plus the ing of
the verb. It denotes (a) an action that is taking place at the time of speaking,
(b) an action in the extended present, and (c) a definite plan for the future.
• She is strumming a guitar now.
• I am studying Nihongo these days.
• They are leaving tomorrow.

2. Past Progressive Tense – it is used to express an action that was going on in

the past when another past action occurred. Using was or were plus the ing
form of the verb.
• I was napping when a load thunder roared.

3. Future Progressive Tense – it is formed by using will be/shall be plus the ing
form of the verb.
• They will be partying next week.
Perfect Form
1. Present Perfect Tense – using has/have and the past participle (verbs ending
in ed, t, or en,) forms it. It denotes an action that was completed prior to the
time of speaking, or an action that began in the past but is still going on at
the present moment.
• I have figured out the answer to the question at last.
 • She has been my classmate since first year.

2. Past Perfect Tense – it is formed by using had plus the past participle form of
the verb. It denotes an action that occurred before another past action or
before a definite past time.
• The test had started when I came.
• A Filipino claimed that he had reached the summit of Mt. Everest.

3. Future Perfect Tense – using will have/shall have and the past participle forms
it. It denotes a future action that will occur before another future action or a
point of time. It is used when someone means that the action will be
completed at a specific time in the future.
• I shall have finished writing a book by December.
• Before she gets old, she will have traveled around the world.

Perfect Progressive Form

It expresses an action that is not completed.
1. Present Perfect Progressive – using has been/ have been plus the ing form of
the verb forms it.
• Riri has been singing for hours now

2. Past Perfect Progressive – it is formed by using had been and the ing of the
verb.
• They had been working on it.

3. Future Perfect Progressive – it is formed by adding will have been/ shall have
been to the ing of the verb.
• By 9 p.m., they shall have been travelling three hours.
• By early next year, we shall have been touring all year long.

B. SPELLING
It is the act of forming words by letters. If you are a poor report writer and a lousy speller,
do not aim to be an investigator. You will just torture your reader. A good investigator
must also be a good report writer.

C. CAPITALIZATION
1. Capitalize the First letter of the First Word of a Sentence.
e.g. Hey! It’s great to see you! How have you been?

2. Capitalize Names and Other Proper Nouns.

e.g. Tom and Diane met at Judy’s house.

3. Don’t Capitalize After a Colon.

e.g. I have one true passion: wombat racing.
Exception:
1. When the word following the colon is a proper noun.
“There is only one place I want to visit: New York City.”
 2. When the words following the colon form one or more complete
sentences.
“Maggie wears a brimmed cap at all times for these two reasons: Strong
light often gives her a headache. She also likes the way it looks.”

4. Capitalize the First Word of a Quote.

e.g. Mario asked, “What is everyone doing this weekend?”

5. Capitalize Days, Months, and Holidays, But Not Seasons.

e.g. I hate Mondays!

6. Capitalize Most Words in Titles.

e.g. The first movie of the series is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.

7. Capitalize Cities, Countries, Nationalities, and Languages.

e.g. English is made up of many languages, including Latin, German, and
French.

8. Capitalize Time Periods and Events

e.g. Most of the World War I veterans are now deceased.

C. HOMONYMS
Homonyms are words that are spelled the same and sound the same but have different
meanings.
• Homograph- is a word that shares the same written form as another word but has
a different meaning.
• Homophones- are pairs of words that sound the same, but have distinctly
different meanings and different spellings.
D. ABBREVIATIONS – brevity is one of the principles in good report writing so that in some
instances, in order to conserve energy and space, the use of some abbreviations is
allowed. However, clarity should never be sacrificed for brevity and the use of
abbreviations must be confined only to those words of common usages and widely
accepted, whether locally or internationally.

E. PUNCTUATIONS – are the customary little marks that determine whether the sentence
is clear or has a doubtful meaning.

CHAPTER III: POLICE REPORT WRITING

BASIC CRITERIA FOR EFFECTIVE CORRESPONDENCE

1. Clarity – the comprehensibility of the idea.
The writer must consider that the reader does not have enough time to look for the
meaning of the words or phrases he used in the communication. The writer has an
obligation to service his reader by letting him easily understand what he wanted to
convey.
2. Accuracy – use of words for a particular purpose.
Choose the words exactly or is suited for your idea and circumstance. Let your readers
or listeners feel and experience what you are trying to convey or what you are trying to
express.

3. Brevity – is the conciseness of the communication.

Readers tire of wading through a stream of verbiage in search for the nuggets of sense.
Avoid padded phrases. Outright redundancy duplicates words that exactly the same.

4. Specificity
When we write about concrete examples or situations that bring ideas to life, we need
specific words that bring the reader closer to first hand experience. Words that remain
too general keep people and events colorless and anonymous.

In report writing, specificity is necessary, for you are giving the complete details of the
events and circumstances as it really happened.

PREPARATIONS OF REPORTS
A. Background Preparation – the gathering and arranging of the information in a
logical sequence, thus, outlining the report.
▪ Arrange notes, evidence and exhibits in the same order as you intend to
present the information in the report.
▪ Reports should refer to each other and are correlated.
B. Basic Steps in Investigative Report Writing – as earlier emphasized in this study,
the contents of police reports are solely based on facts. Conformably, before
any investigative report can be written, the investigator must undertake the five
stated basic steps.
1. Gather the Facts – conduct a thorough investigation, interview witnesses,
interrogate suspects.

2. Record the Facts – immediately and accurately record in your clipboard, not
in your memory, the facts gathered.

3. Organize the Facts – arranging the sequence of happenings in an outline

form.

4. Write the Report – a well – written report must radiate qualities such as
factuality, clarity, relevance, brevity, completeness, accuracy, objectivity,
fairness and be up – to – date.

5. Evaluate the Report – means editing and proof-reading what you have
written before it can be considered a finish product for submission to higher
officials.

TWO GENERAL TYPES OF POLICE REPORTS

A. Basic or Informal Police Report – this type of report deals with the ordinary
miscellaneous, usual, day to day memorandum, letter or form accomplished by
any member of a unit or section, precinct, bureau or division within a
department, in accordance with the prescribed regulation.
 Contents of a Basic or Informal Police Report
1. The heading or the letterhead of the organization, office or section where the
writer is assigned;
2. The date of preparation or submission;
3. The person or office to whom it is addressed or submitted;
4. The text proper; and
5. The name of the writer or source of the report.

B. Investigative or Formal Police Report – this pertains to the exact narration of

facts, without any addition or subtraction, which were discovered during the
course of investigation.

CLASSIFICATION OF INVESTIGATION REPORTS

A. INITIAL OR ADVANCE REPORT
This is a written narration of facts concerning a new case assigned to an officer. It is
written and submitted immediately upon the termination of the initial investigation. This
report is advance information on a new or fresh case assigned to an investigator. It is
written and submitted immediately after having conducted the initial investigation of
the case.

Initial Reports may either be in the form of a:

1. Spot Report
2. Advance Information Report
3. Alarm Report
4. Incident Report and the like

• Spot Report – is that one done after an important incident took place in a certain
area at a given time. Verbal or written, it must be acted upon within 24 hours.
The idea is to inform an immediate chief (as SOP, considering that whatever
happens in said area is a command responsibility), or that one from a higher
headquarters or office, regarding the details relative to a particular occurrence.
When written, a spot report may use the PNP message form, especially if the
reporting officer is far from the receiver. If the reporter is within a particular
installation only, the report may sue the Subject- to Letter form.
• Special Report – this is done either because one feels he has some reporting to
do, or he is obliged to report, based on a directive, or an instruction from the
higher headquarters office. In other words, a higher echelon requires a
subordinate one to report on a particular incident, project program activities, an
estimate of a situation, or any other similar activity.
Formalizing a special report from a lower unit to a higher headquarters has been
done by men in uniform. It follows a subject to letter:
Paragraph Contents in a Special Report
a. Problem – what is the report all about? Why it is written in the first place?
This problem portion is reflected in the first paragraph, sometimes
continued to the next.
 b. Rationale – this refers to the specifications related to the problem. More
often than not, these details are shown in the subordinating paragraphs
after the problem is defined.

c. Action – usually, the last paragraph has this. What action must the
receiver/reader do?
• Beat Inspection Report – in the station level, this report is one of the widely
practiced written communications. It is routinely as any duty inspector submits it
daily. This differs from the after patrol report in terms of movements. Those on
beat inspections do their routine check on foot; those on patrol check their
assigned sectors by using official vehicles, mobiles. As to form, the beat
inspection report uses a subject – to letter form with same spacing and margin.
• After Patrol or Mobile Patrol Report – uses a form communication. The team
leader just fills in the blank. Because there are three shifts within 24 hours, three
after patrol reports are submitted daily by three team leaders – each one
presumed to observed an 8 hour tour of duty with his members. Each mobile has
a certain sector to so there is no deviation. From the report, the chief will know if
there ever was a deviation from the one’s area of responsibility. The team leader
who is signatory is not an officer.
• Situational Report – it is done on the need basis. The commander or the chief has
to know the actual situation of a particular incident which can be of public
interest. He has to know from his subordinate unit/s just what is happening even
before media reports. If possible, he should be informed even before the public
is informed. This maybe done every hour, every six hours, every eight hours,
depending on the situation. During the space time, a situational is not necessary.

B. PROGRESS OR FOLLOW-UP REPORT

This is a written narration of facts which were discovered by the police officer on case in
the course of his follow-up investigation. For every development in the case as a result
of the follow-up investigation, a progress report must be immediately submitted. It is
through this kind of report that a superior officer can determine if the detective or
investigator is working on his case and therefore, serve as a gauge or yardstick for the
investigator’s efficiency. A progress report can simply be an accomplishment report
which may be analytical in approach and comparatively longer. This may be
accompanied by a memorandum or a letter of transmittal having these important
highlights: why the report is being made; purpose and scope of the report; and sources
of information.

C. FINAL OR CLOSING REPORT

This is a complete narration of facts based on a exhaustive investigation of the case by
the officer who initially started the investigation of the case. Final report is also the result
of summation, evaluation, analysis of all facts and circumstances surrounding the case,
trying all loose ends pertinent thereto so as to form a clear and composite picture of
the crime committed to the mind of the reader, for prosecutorial and judicial action.

CRITERIA IN MAKING AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORT

It should be grammatically correct, abbreviations must be used appropriately
and correctly and avoid slang and unnecessary terms.
PARTS OF AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORT
1. Administrative Data

a. Date – the date on which the investigator’s dictation or draft of the report
was given to the typist will be the date of the report.
b. File Number – this is a matter of local custom. Standard decimal classification
file numbers can be used.

c. Subject – if the subject is known, his full name and address should be
reflected on the report. He may subsequently be referred to in the same
report as the SUBJECT or by his last name in capital letters. If the subject is
unidentified, a short description of crime should be given using a fictitious
name JOHN DOE.

d. Classification – the specific nature of the case should be given. This may be
done by citing the name of the crime and the section of the penal code
under which it is punished.

e. Complaint – the name of the complainant and the manner in which the
complaint was received will be given. The complaint may have been
received directly or from another office.

f. Reporting Investigator – the name of the investigator assigned to the case will
be given. Assisting investigators will be listed in the details of the report. This is
of particular importance to the prosecutor preparing for trial.

g. Office of Origin – the office, squad, or precinct in which the compliant was
received or which has jurisdiction over the area where the offense requiring
investigation tool place is considered the Office of Origin.

h. Status – this entry should reflect the status of the case within the office or
squad submitting the report. The status is either “pending” or “closed”.
h.1. Pending – this term when used by the Office of Origin, indicates that the
investigation is continuing. In effect, it often means that the case is not
closed yet.
h.2. Closed – a case can be closed by the Office of Origin. Ordinarily, it is
closed for one of the following reasons; the subject died; the investigation
is completed; or further investigation is considered to be unwarranted for
some reason such as the failure to establish a corpus delicti.
h.3. Auxiliary Completion – this designation status is used by an auxiliary office
or squad on completing its assigned portion of the investigation
i. Distribution – the disposition of the original and all copies of the report should
be clearly stated.

2. Synopsis – each report should bear on its cover sheet a synopsis or brief
description of the action of the perpetrators as established by the body of the
report and the summary of the major investigative steps thus far accomplished.
 This is done in a single paragraph using the narrative style. If the perpetrator is
known, his name should be used and his present status described.

Example: “Investigation revealed that on November 10, 2012. John Jones

entered the home of Thomas Brown at No. 45 Magsaysay Avenue, Baguio City,
and stole the camera and watch. On November 21, 2012, Jones was arrested at
Lakandula Street, Baguio City. (Indicate the value of items stolen.)”

The purpose of the synopsis is to provide a brief, informative summary of the

nature and important events in the case. This procedure is the immense value to
receiving authorities and is of assistance in filing the case and facilitating
subsequent reference.

3. Details of the Report – the “details” section of the report have for its objective a
narrative account of the investigation. It should be arranged logically with an
eye to reader comprehension. Each paragraph should normally contain a
separate investigative step. Paragraphs and pages should be numbered. All
pertinent details uncovered by the phase of the investigation being reported
should be related. The investigator should refer parenthetically to all exhibits,
which support the details.

4. Conclusions and Recommendations (Optional) – the investigator’s opinion,

conclusions, and recommendations as to the status of the case and the
disposition of physical evidence should be expressed under his heading.

5. Undeveloped Leads – these are “uncontacted” possible source of information,

which appears necessary in bringing the investigation to a logical conclusion.
The investigator should try to make each lead specific, stating exactly what
information is to be expected from the lead.

6. Enclosures – these are supplementary documents, which may be consist of

photographs and sketches of crime scenes, identification photographs,
Photostats of checks.

Types of Report Writers:

1. Those who write without thinking;
2. Those who write and think at the same time; and
3. Those who think first and write afterwards.

Nature of the Report

A report of investigation is an objective statement of the investigator’s findings. It is
an official record of the information relevant to the investigation which the investigator
submits to his superior.
Since a case that may not go to trial until months after completion of the
investigation, it is important that there be available and complete statement of the
investigative results. Loss of memory with regard to details, missing notebooks, possible
absence of the investigator are some of the dangers which the report anticipates.
Sequence of Report
The report should include negative as well as positive findings in order to remove
unwarranted and misleading suspicion. A single report is desirable, but usually this is not
possible because of the leads, which are involved, in a typical case.
In major case, a report should be submitted within a matter of few days. The
seriousness of the matter will warrant maximum investigative efforts.
There should be no unjustifiable delay in investigative action. Supplementary reports
will be sent out as the information is developed or the lead discovered. In major cases,
a status report should be made even when no new significant information has been
discovered/uncovered. The closing report will be submitted when all leads are
developed and the case does not warrant further investigation.

Narrative Technique
Among the techniques in composition, narration (long or short; preferably short
but complete) is effective in police report. This is because narration concerns with
events, with action, and with life in action. An action takes place in time. There is a
chronological movement from a beginning to an end.
This means that the report begins when something happened; it ends when
something has finished happening.

Three Essentials of a Narrative

1. Setting – in writing an investigative report, the setting is the introductory
paragraph. It must first be presented to the reader, which includes the time, the
date, the place and the nature of the crime.
When? (Time and date of crime occurrence)
Where? (The crime scene)
What? (The nature of the crime)

2. Character – the second essential in the narrative involves the people in the crime
such as the victim, the suspect and the witness.

Complainant – It is the person who institutes action/person who call the police;
makes complaint; first person contacted by the police.

Victim – the person who is injured or killed as by acts of another person or by

misfortune or calamity or place in case of a building,

Subject – is actually the wanted person.

Suspect – the person involved to major degree and wanted for questioning or in
some cases, apprehended.

Witness – the person who has seen or knows something about the case being
investigated or one which can furnish evidence or proof.
 Person Involved – talks about either the subject or suspect but is still involved in
the matter and interested of the police.

Note: in all instances, give known details as to the name, age, birthdate,
birthplace and complete physical description and include information as to
whether or not the person is armed or considered dangerous, etc.

3. Action
Why? (motive of the crime)
How? (modus operandi or the manner of occurrence)

Four General Kinds of Sentences

1. Declarative Sentence – declares or states a fact. It ends with a period.
2. Interrogative Sentence – asks a question and ends with a question mark.
3. Imperative Sentence – expresses request or command and ends with a period.
4. Exclamatory Sentence – exclaims a strong feeling or emotion and usually ends
with a exclamation mark.

Police Sentence – a grammatically narration of facts with the usual subject, predicate
and verb. It is distinctive because of the use of police words, phrases, clauses and other
terminologies without however, being too technical, legal and vulgar.

Topic Sentence – is the first sentence immediately at the beginning of the next or
ensuing or following paragraph.

Paragraph Construction
A paragraph is a sentence group of properly related sentences expressing a
single idea.

In most cases, the writer must distinguish one paragraph from another by leaving
a blank line between them, giving the written page the appearance of having
breathing spaces between paragraphs. Normally, this is done by numbering each
paragraph consecutively.

Introductory Paragraph
In Investigative report writing, it is the first paragraph or opening paragraph. The
objective is to readily point out to the reader the statement or objective of the report,
or the subject of the report, or what the case is all about.

Characteristics of a Paragraph
1. Write short photographs.
2. Give your reader a rest.
3. Recapture your reader’s attention.

BLOTTER PROCEDURE
Before entry into the blotter book, the Duty Officer (DO) should first evaluate it the
report is a crime incident, arrest or event activity, which is for records purposes only If
the report is a crime incident, the DG shall first accomplish the Incident Record Form
(IRF) from which the entry in the blotter book and IRS shall be extracted. All other reports
shall be recorded directly to the blotter book (PNP SOP No. 2012-001 Incident Recording
System").

The following incidents or transactions, among others, are entered in the police
blotter(Soriano,2005)

1. Violations of laws and ordinances reported and recorded:

2. All calls in which any member of the PNP is dispatched or takes official action;
3. All fire arms, reports and information received by the stations:
4. Movements of prisoners with corresponding notations on the authority for such
movements
5 Cases of missing and found persons, animals and property:
6. Vehicular and other types of accidents, which require police action.
7. All personal injuries, bodies found, and suicides,
8. Damage of property:
9. All cases in which police member is involved,
10. All arrests and returns made; and
11. Miscellaneous cases, general and special orders, violations of rules and regulations,
and other reportable accident that the substation, station commander, or higher
authority desires to be recorded.

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

b. Reporting Jurisdiction
The police unit with the territorial jurisdiction where the crime was committed shall have
the primary responsibility to record and report the same.
If a continuing crime is committed in various areas of responsibilities, it should be
recorded and reported as a single crime by the unit-taking cognizance of the crime
(PNP Police Operational Procedures 2013).

CHAPTER IV: INVESTIGATIVE REPORT WRITING

DEFINITION OF INVESTIGATION
Investigation is the collection of facts to accomplish a three-fold aim (PNP DIDM
Criminal Investigation Manual, 2011):
a. to identify the suspect
b. to locate the suspect and
c. to provide evidence of his/her guilt.

In the performance of his duties; the investigator must seek to establish the six (6)
cardinal points of investigation, namely (PNP DIDM Criminal Investigation Manual, 2011):
a. what specific offense has been committed;
b. how the offense was committed;
c. who committed it
d. where the offense was committed,
e. when was it committed; and
f. why was it committed

PROTOCOLS IN INVESTIGATION
The PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM) Criminal
Investigation Manual 2011 requires the fourteen (14) protocols in conducting an
investigation.

Protocol 1: Jurisdictional Investigation by the Territorial Unit Concerned

The Police Station, which has territorial jurisdiction of the area where the crime incident
was committed, shall immediately undertake the necessary investigation and
processing of the crime scene, unless otherwise directed by higher authorities for a
certain case to be investigated by other units/agencies.

Protocol 2: Official Police Blotter

a A Police Blotter is an 18" x 12" logbook with hard-bound cover that contains the daily
register of all crime incident reports, official summary of arrests, and other significant
events reported in a police station.

b. As a general rule, all crime incidents must be recorded in the official police blotter.

c. A separate Police Blotter, however, shall be maintained for offenses requiring

confidentiality like violence against women and children and those cases involving a
child in conflict with the law to protect their privacy pursuant to R.A. 9262 (Anti-Violence
Against Women and Children Act of 2004) and R.A 9344 (Juvenile Justice and Welfare
Act of 2006)

d. The duty police officer shall record the nature of the incident in the police blotter
containing the five "W's (who, what, where, when and why) and one "H (how) of the
information and inform his superior officer or the duty officer regarding the occurrence
of such incident.

e. In answering the above 5 Ws and 1 H and the Case Disposition, all such material
details about the incident, including the nature of the action or offense, the date, time,
and place of occurrence the names of the suspect/s, the victims, the witness/es, if any,
facts of the case, significant circumstances that aggravate or mitigate the event or the
crime should be entered along with the identity of the officer to whom the case is
assigned (Officer-on-Case); and, the status of the case.
Protocol 3: Investigation Team:
Organization and Equipment All investigators in any police unit must be a graduate of
prescribed investigation course with a rank of at least PO2 (pre-requisite to assignment)

a. Composition of an Investigation Team:

1. Team Leader,
2. Investigator/Recorder;
3. Photographer
4. Evidence Custodian; and
5. Composite Illustrator/Artist

b. Pieces of Equipment of the Investigator

1. Police line,
2. Video camera;
3. Voice recorder,
4. Camera
5. Measuring device
6. Gloves
7. Flashlight:
8. Fingerprint kit
9. Evidence bag
10. Evidence tag:
11. Evidence bottles/vials; and
12. Investigator's tickler (contains the following)
a) Investigator's Checklist
b) Anatomical Diagram Form
c) Evidence Checklist
d) Turn-over Receipt

Protocol 4: Duties of the First Responder

a. Proceed to the crime scene to validate the information received.
b. Record the exact time of arrival and all pertinent data regarding the incident in his
issued pocket notebook and notify the TOC
c. Cordon off the area and secure the crime scene with a police line or whatever
available material like ropes, straws or human as barricade to preserve its integrity
d. Check whether the situation still poses imminent danger and call for back up it
necessary.
e. Identify possible witnesses and conduct preliminary interview and ensure their
availability for the incoming investigator-on-case;
f. Arrest the suspect/s if around or in instances wherein the suspect's is fleeing, make
appropriate notification for dragnet operations;
g. Prepare to take the "Dying Declaration of severely injured persons with the following
requisites:
1. That death is imminent and the declarant is conscious of that fact;
2. That the declaration refers to the cause and surrounding circumstances of
such death;
3. That the declaration relates to facts which the victim is competent to testify to
and;
 4. That the declaration is offered in a case wherein the declarant's death is the i
subject of the inquiry (Section 37. Rule 130 of the Rules of Court).
h. Evacuate the wounded to the nearest hospital using emergency services:
i. Account for the killed, wounded, and arrested persons for proper disposition;
j. Conduct initial investigation;
k. Brief the investigator-on-case upon arrival and turn over the crime scene, and
l. Conduct inventory on the evidence taken at the crime scene: Inventory Receipt
should be properly signed by the first responder, SOCO, and the investigator.

Protocol 5: Duties and Responsibilities of the Investigating Team

a. Take full control of the crime scene to include the conduct of crime scene search:
taking of photographs, making sketches, lifting of fingerprints; markings of physical
evidence; (Chain of custody) the transmittal of evidence to crime laboratory: interview
of witnesses: gathering and evaluation of evidence; follow up of the case and the
documentation and filing of appropriate charges in court.
b. Establish a command post in the immediate vicinity of the crime scene;
c. Designate a holding area in the immediate vicinity of the crime scene (for the media,
VIP's and other personalities present);
d. Conduct case conference with the first responder, SOCO, other law enforcers and
rescue personnel.
e. Note any secondary crime scene (if situation requires), and
f. Release the crime scene after investigation.

Protocol 6: Investigation of Suspects

a. Procedures when arrest is made
1. Secure the person arrested (handcuff at the back):
2. Inform the arrested person on the cause of his arrest and his rights as
provided for in the Constitution,
3. Conduct thorough search for weapons and other illegal materials
against the suspect/s;
4. Use reasonable force in making arrest:
5. Confiscated evidence shall be properly documented and marked
6. Bring the arrested person to the Police Station for investigation.

b. Booking Procedures of the Arrested Person/Suspect

1. The arrested suspect shall be fingerprinted photographed, and
subjected to medical examination to include liquor and drug tests.
2. Conduct record check.

Protocol 7: Taking of Sworn Statements of Suspects

The execution of a suspect's "WAIVER" as stipulated in Art.125 of the RPC shall always be
done in the presence of his chosen counsel or any independent counsel.

Protocol 8: Taking of Sworn Statement/s of the Witnesses

a. Sworn Statement or Affidavit of complainants and witnesses must be taken
immediately by the investigator-on-case.
b. Affidavit of Arrest of arresting officers must be taken immediately not later than 24
hours.
c. In Inquest cases, the investigator-on-case and the arresting officer/s shall observe Art.
125 of the RPC.

Protocol 9: Preparation of Reports and Filing of Charge

The Investigator-on-Case shall submit the following
a. Spot Report within 24 hrs to HHQ:
b. Progress Report:
c. After Operation Report.
d. Final Report after the case is filed before the Prosecutor's Office/Court, and
e. Accomplishment Report.

Protocol 10: Procedure in the Release of Crime Scene

a. Ensure that appropriate inventory has been made;
b. Release is accomplished only after completion of the final survey and proper
documentation of evidence, witness/es, victim/s, and suspect/s; and
c. If the crime scene is within a private property, the same must be released to the
lawful owner witnessed by any barangay official. In case of government facility, it
should be released to the administrator.

Protocol 11: Follow-up of Case

The investigator shall conduct police operation to identify and apprehend suspect/s
based on the results of the initial investigation conducted.

Protocol 12: Preparation of Case Investigation Plan (CIPLAN)

The conduct of police operation involving sensational cases, high profile, and heinous
crimes must be covered by Case Investigation Plan.

Protocol 13: Attendance to Court Duties

The investigator-on-case and arresting officers shall endeavor to ensure their
attendance during court hearings while COPs/Heads of Units shall supervise and the
attendance of witnesses.

Protocol 14: Uniform of the Investigator

Prescribed uniform should be worn by investigators when conducting investigation so as
to identify them as PNP personnel.

COMMON INVESTIGATION OVERSIGHTS

1. Incomplete Case Folder- lack of material documentation of the case under
investigation.
Recommended Remedy:
- Compile police reports in chronological order.
- Attach profile of victim/s and suspect/s as well as status of the party involved in the
case.

2. No template for the conduct of investigation- police personnel are not

knowledgeable about crime scene preservation and basic investigation.
Recommended Remedy:
- Mandatory Investigation training of police personnel in field units.
3. Inadequacy of coordination- agencies involved often work separately and
independently in the conduct of investigation.
Recommended Remedy:
- Case conferences

TYPES OF CORRESPONDENCE

1. Internal Correspondence: Internal correspondence refers to correspondence

between the individuals, departments, sections and branches of the same
organization.
2. External Correspondence: It refers to correspondence made with outsiders of the
organization who are individuals, customers, suppliers, banks, financial institutions,
money lenders, government departments, educational institutions, charitable trust and
the like.
3. Routine Correspondence: Routine correspondence refers to correspondence on
routine matters like inquiries, acknowledgements, replies, orders, invitations and
appointment letters.
4. Sales Correspondence: It refers to correspondence relating to sales. They are sales
letters, sales reports, invoices, offer and discount letters, statement of accounts,
confirmation of order, collection letters, delivery letters, debit and credit notes letters
and the like.
5. Personalized Correspondence: Emotional factors are responsible for personalized
correspondence. The letters relating to requesting, granting or refusing co — operation,
favour, letters intimating gratefulness, appreciation, congratulation or commendation,
letter of introduction or recommendation of an individual, letters of sympathy or
censure and the like are termed as personalized correspondence.
6. Circulars: A common matter is communicated to a large number of persons or firms.
They treated as circulars and/or notices change of address, change of telephone
numbers, opening of a new branch, introduction of a new product and product line,
notices regarding meetings to share holders, debenture holders, depositors, financial
institutions and the like are the example of circulars. These are cyclostyled, duplicated
or printed.