INTRODUCTION TO POLICE REPORT WRITING
POLICE REPORT
A document that details all of the facts, circumstances, and timeline of events surrounding an incident.
The report is written by the responding officer and is turned into the department for review and filing
once completed.
It is defined under the Code of Criminal Procedures, a report forwarded by a Police Officer to a
magistrate under subsection (2) of Section 173. Simply Stated, final report culminates the investigation
process in formal recommendation for action.
THREE KIND OF REPORTS
SECTION 157 requires a preliminary report from the officer in charge of police station to
magistrate
SECTION 168 requires reports from a subordinate police officer to the officer in charge of the
station.
SECTION 173 requires a final report of the police officer as soon as investigation is completed to
the Magistrate.
IMPORTANT USES OF REPORT WRITING
To put all the details and it will be remembered every details to the investigation.
• Report gives consolidated and updated information.
• Report as a means of internal communication.
• Report facilitates decision making and planning.
• Report discloses unknown information.
• Report gives information to employees.
• Report gives reliable permanent information.
• Report facilitates framing of personnel policies.
• Also, report is a short, sharp, concise document which is written for a particular purpose
and audience.
It generally sets outs and analysis a situation or problem, often making recommendations for future
action. It is a factual paper, and needs to be clear and well-structured.
CRITERIA IN MAKING OF REPORT WRITING
Accurate and Specific
-Accurate means not only being exact, but also non-commission of errors. Words present must
be precise and correct the report must be free from mistakes or errors.
Brief and Concise
-In order to make your reports brief and concise, avoid the use of redundant or superfluity, jargons and
many more. Also, it is necessary for the writer to determine which details should be included and which
is not.
Clarity
-The police report writer must consider that the reader has no time to look for the meaning of
different words used by the inconsiderate writer.
Factual or Objective
--Focus on the facts, avoid getting opinions and personal judgements in order no to be partial
and subjective
Completeness
-In any incident report, the essential elements of information must be complete, the 5W’s and 1 H
(WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY and HOW). This should be the basic guide in writing a report.
WHO –Who was the victim? Or Who discovered the crime?
WHAT –What type of property was solen, lost or found?
- What offense was committed?
WHEN – When was the crime committed? Or When was the victim last seen?
WHERE – Where was the crime discovered? Or Where was the victim found?
WHY – Why was the crime committed? Or Why where certain tools used?
HOW – How did the criminal get to the scene?
- How was the crime discovered?
TWO TYPES OF POLICE REPORT
ARREST REPORT
-This report provides details on an arrest made by Police
-Is a record of a law enforcement agency of an arrest and of any detention or confinement
incident together with the connected charge.
Purpose: Is to record the incident, names witnesses, the crime, itself, offenders involved, and the nature
of the incident. It also serves as a means of recording all details of the criminal activity involved, whether
that information is significant at the time or not.
Example of Police Arrest Report
INCIDENT REPORT
-Is a tool that documents any event that may or may not have caused injuries to a person or
damage to a company asset. It is used to capture injuries and accident near misses, property and
equipment damage, health and safety issues, security, breaches and misconduct in the worksite.
CLASSIFICATION & CATEGORY OF POLICE REPORT
CLASSIFICATION OF POLICE REPORT
An informal report usually is a letter or memorandum or any one of many prescribed or used in
day-by-day police operation. It customarily carries three items besides the text proper, date submitted,
subject, and persons or person to whom submitted. It may, however, contain many items or
administrative importance along with the subject matter of the text. Actually, most police reports may
be placed in this category.
A formal report suggest a full-dress treatment, including cover, title page, letter of transmittal,
summary sheet, text, appendixes, and perhaps an index and bibliography.
CATEGORIES OF POLICE REPORT
Operation Report – Operational reporting focuses on producing detailed reports of day-
to-day organizational operations. This includes, police incidents, investigation, and arrest.
Internal Report – An internal report is a document that communicates important information to
inform people inside the organization. These documents are designed to be viewed working
within the institution.
Technical Report – A technical report is described as a written scientific document that conveys
information about fact-based manner.
Summary of Information (SOI) – An intelligence report rendered regarding any illegal activity or
violation of laws being observed by intelligence operatives within a given area or responsibility.
This is the usual basis of case operations hence, information received should be cared, validated,
countered checked, analyzed and evaluated.
CONCEPT OF THE ANATOMY OF CRIME
The Anatomy of the crime ‘travels from crime scene to courtrooms, exploring the specialisms of
those involved in the delicate processes of collecting, analyzing and presenting medical
evidence. it looks at the investigators of violent crimes and our enduring cultural fascination
with death and detection.
The exhibition contain original evidence, photographic documentation, film footage, forensic
instruments and specimens, and is rich with artworks offering unsetting and intimate response
to traumatic events, medicine and science.
POLICE VISIBILITY
More like measures used by law enforcement to engage within the community and to make
them feel secured at the same time, to intimidate a person who plans to commit a crime.
It is how police officers experience and manage the information of surveillance and visibility into
their daily routines.
USE OF NOTEBOOK AND JOURNEY ENTRIES
1. Notebook also known as a notepad, writing pad, drawing pad, or legal pad is a book or stack of
ruled paper pages used for making notes or memos, other writing, drawing, or scrapbooking.
Police Notebook - The police notebook/report book is a tiny pocketbook that all police officers
use to keep track of the specifics of every incident they respond to. The book's goal, according
to the cops, is twofold.
Accurate
Understandable No Erasure
No Leaves Torn out
No Blank Spaces
No Writing Between Lines
Record All Conversation in Direct Speech
Concise
2. Journal Entries - A journal entry is a record of a company's financial activities kept in its
accounting books. A properly documented journal entry comprises of the exact date, amounts
to be debited and credited, description of the transaction and a unique reference number.
Specific Date
Name and Address of the Signer
And how the signer was identified
