LESSON 3 Crime Detection,

Investigation and Prevention

TOPICS
1. Crime Detection
2 Criminal Investigation
3 Importance of Investigation
4 Guide to writing investigation reports

LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
1 explain the crime detection and criminal investigation;
2 understand the importance of investigation;
3. discuss the guidelines in writing investigation reports;

Crime detection
TOPICbegins 1: with the discovery
Crime of a crime sceneinvestigation
detection, and proceeds through the process of evidence
collection, identification and analysis.

Crime prevention and detection is the major task of the police. In carrying out this task, the police cooperate
with the authorities concerned to promote public knowledge of crime prevention and they conduct investigation
and collect evidence for examination with scientific instruments and methods through legal procedures in hope
that all cases occurring could be solved promptly to ensure social security and stability.

What are the goals of policing?

1. To protect life and property
2. To maintain peace and order
3. To enforce the law
4. To prevent and detect crimes
5. To assist the public in circumstances of personal emergency

Problem Oriented Policing - police patrol personnel look at causes of crime and potential crime in particular
areas rather than just dealing with incidents.

Community Policing - crime prevention methods involving the wider community.

Deterrence by Example - a reactive form of policing and crime prevention through the sight of police officer in
uniform.

Crime Prevention - is the anticipation, recognition, and appraisal of a crime risk and the initiation of action to
remove or reduce it.

Whose responsibility is crime prevention? ans. everyone, however, law enforcement agencies such as the
police are the focal point in community crime prevention.

Whose responsibility is crime detection? ans. police, though special law enforcement agencies may be
responsible for the discovery of a particular types of crimes. Ex, PDEA for drug related offenses.

Whose responsibility is crime investigation? ans. police and other law enforcement agencies.

Crime Detection Falls Into 3 Phases

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1. The discovery that a crime has been committed.
2. The identification of the suspect
3. The collection of sufficient evidence to indict the suspect before the court of justice.

Investigation - an inquiry, judicial or otherwise for the discovery and collection of facts concerning the matters
involved.
- it is the process of inquiring, eliciting, soliciting and getting vital information, facts,
circumstances in order to establish the truth.

Criminal Investigator - a public safety officer who is tasked to conduct the investigation of all criminal cases
as provided for and embodied under the revised penal code, criminals laws and special laws which are
criminal in nature.
- a well trained, disciplined and experienced professional in the field of criminal investigation.

Custodial Investigation - investigation conducted by law enforcement officers after a person has been
arrested or deprived of his freedom of action.

Neighborhood Investigation - one of the most crucial steps in kidnap for ransom cases which is often
overlooked. The objective is to identify and interview in person all individuals in the area where the victim was
kidnapped or last known sighting area during the window of opportunity. (last time seen until the time
discovered missing.

Crime scene - a venue or place where the alleged crime/incident/event has been committed.

Corpus delicti - (latin for the body of the crime) - used to describe the physical or material evidence that a
crime has been committed. ex. corpse of a murder victim.

Confession - is an express acknowledgement by the accused in a criminal prosecution of the truth of his guilt
as to the offense charge.

Admission - refers to statement of facts not directly constituting an acknowledgement of guilt.

Organized criminal group - a structured group of three or more persons existing

for a period of time and acting in concert with the aim of committing one or more serious crime or offenses.

Organized crime - a combination of two or more persons who are engaged in a criminal or virtual criminal
activity on a continuing basis for the purpose of profit or power using gangland style to attain their purpose.

Physical evidence - evidenced addressed to the senses of the court that are capable of being exhibited,
examined or viewed by the court. This includes but not limited to fingerprints, body fluid, explosives,
hazardous chemicals, soil/burned debris, bombs, electronic parts used in the commission of the crime.

Victimology/victim profiling - a detailed account of the victims lifestyle and personality, assist in determining
the nature of the disappearance, the risk level of the victim and the type of person who could have committed
the crime. Complete information regarding the victims physical description, normal behavior patterns, the
family dynamics and known friends and acquintances should be obtained as soon as possible.

Miranda vs. Arizona - Ernesto Miranda had confessed to rape and kidnapping, after two hour interrogation.
Because the interrogators failed to inform Miranda of his right to counsel and remain silent, his conviction was
overturned.

Waterboarding - refers to the practice of strapping a suspect to a board with his or her head lowered, then the
face is covered and water is poured over it causing the suspect to gag and experience the sensation of
drowning.

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Chinese water torture - interrogation technique, repeatedly dripping water on the forehead of the suspect.
The goal is to drive the suspect to near insanity thereby obtaining a confession.

Serial Killer - is someone who murders 3 or more people with "cooling off" periods in between.

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. A
separate police blotter 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 RA
9262 (anti violence against women and children act of 2004) and RA 9344 ( juvenile justice and welfare act of
2006).

Actus Reus - proof that a criminal act has occurred.

Sketch - a rough drawing or painting, often made to assist in making a more finished picture.

Types of Sketches
1. Floor plan (Birds Eye View)
2. Elevation Drawing
3. Exploded View
4. Respective Drawings

Allan Pinkerton - a Scottish american detective who created the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, the
first detective agency in the US.Pinkerton foiled a plot to assassinate President Lincoln.

Rouges Gallery - is a police collection of pictures or photographs of criminals and suspects kept for
identification purposes.A compilation of descriptions, methods of operation having places and names of
criminal and their associates.

Mugshot - is a photographic portrait taken after one is arrested.

Criminal investigation - it is the collection of facts in order to accomplish the three fold aims:

3 Fold Aims Of Criminal Investigation

1. To identify the guilty party

2. To locate the guilty party
3. To provide evidence of his guilt

6 Cardinal points of investigation

1. What specific offense was committed

2. How the offense was committed
3. Who committed it
4. Where the offense was committed
5. When it was committed
6. Why it was committed

Tools of an investigator in gathering facts

1. Information - data gathered by an investigator and other

person including the victim himself and from:
1. public records
2. private records
3. modus operandi file
2. Interview - skillful questioning of witness and
suspects.
3. Instrumentation - scientific examination of real
evidence, application of instruments and
method of physical sciences in detecting crime.

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Phases of investigations

1.Phase 1 - identify the suspect through:

1. confession
2. eyewitness testimony
3. circumstantial evidence
4. associate evidence
2. Phase 2 - locate and apprehend suspect.
3. Phase 3 - gather and provide evidence to
establish the guilt of the accused.

Composition/Organization of an investigation team:

1. Team leader
2. Investigator/recorder
3. Photographer
4. Evidence Custodian
5. Composite illustrator/Artist

Equipment of an 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
12. Investigators tickler

Investigators Tickler

1. Investigators checklist
2. Anatomical diagram form
3. Evidence Checklist
4. Turn-over receipt

Standard Methods of Recording Investigative Data:

1. Photographs
2. Sketching crime scenes
3. Written notes (what you have seen/observed)
4. Developing and lifting fingerprints found at the crime scene.
5. Gathering physical evidence
6. Plaster cast
7. Tape recording of sounds
8. Video tape recording of objects
9. Written statement of objects and witnesses.

2 Kinds of Information

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 1. Regular sources - ex. citizen, company records
2. Cultivated sources - ex. paid informant

 Interrogation or questioning witness or suspect who is reluctant to divulge or reveal information with
the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information while an Interview is simple questioning of
a person who cooperate with the investigator.
How the Suspect is Identified
1. Confession or Admission - is a declaration of an
accused acknowledging his guilt.
2. Eyewitness testimony
3. Circumstantial evidence

How circumstantial Evidence Obtained

1. Motive
2. Opportunity
3. Associative Evidence

Types of Interview
1. Informal (on the scene interview) - conducted by
police/investigator at the crime scene to get
description of criminal if seen.
2. Formal - interview conducted by the investigator
assigned to the case.

Types of Formal Interview

1. Normal - for willing or cooperative witness.
2. Group/Pretext Interview - for hostile witness or witness who refuse to cooperate.
3. Follow Up - additional interview in addition to vital points if necessary.

Qualifications of Interviewer
1. Salesman
2. Actor
3. Psychologist

Requisites of an Interview
1. Establish rapport
2. Forcefulness of personality
3. Breadth of interest

Setting of Interview
1. Background Interview - time and place of interview are not a consideration except for busy person.
2. Routine Criminal Cases - interview should be carefully planned. Busy person can be interviewed at night,
privacy is important.
3. Important Criminal Cases - should be conducted in places other than the subjects home/office to prevent
him/her feeling confident. Investigator should get interviewees respect.
4. Appropriate Time - General rule - (ASAP) as soon possible while facts are fresh in the memory of
interviewees.

Methods of Crime Scene Search

1. Strip method - the area is blocked out in the formof a rectangle. The searchers (3 person is good)
proceed slowly at the same pace along path parallel to one side of the rectangle.
2. Double Strip Search Method - modification of the strip search method. The rectangle is traversed first
parallel to the base then parallel to a side.
3. Spiral Search Method - The searchers (3 person is good) follow each other along the path of a spiral
beginning on the outside and spiraling in towards the center.
4. Zone Search Method - one searcher is assigned to each subdivision of a quadrant and then each quadrant
is cut into another set of quadrants.
5. Wheel Search Method - the area is considered to be approximately circular. The searchers gather at
the center and proceed outward along radii or spokes. Procedure is repeated several times
depending on the size of the circle and the number of searchers.

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 strip search method
double strip search method

spiral search method

zone search method

wheel search method

NOTES ON CRIME DETECTION

AND INVESTIGATION
CDI 1: FUNDAMENTALS OF
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION
I.INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINAL
INVESTIGATION AND
DETECTION –HANS GROSS – A
noted Criminologist
once said that Criminal
Investigation is a95%
perspiration b. 3% inspiration
and c. 2% luck.

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 TOPIC 2: Criminal investigation

A. Definition of Terms:
Criminal investigation- is an
art, not science. But we must
treat it partially in order that
we will be guided by the
general principle and
concepts; and the provision of
laws pertinent to our Criminal
Justice System.
ART- is simply defined as the
POWER of performing certain
action especially acquired by
experience, study an
Criminal investigation is an applied science that involves the study of facts that are then used to inform criminal
trials. A complete criminal investigation can include searching, interviews, interrogations, evidence collection and
preservation, and various methods of investigation. Modern-day criminal investigations commonly employ many
modern scientific techniques known collectively as forensic science.
Criminal investigation is an ancient science that may have roots as far back as c. 1700 BCE in the writings of
the Code of Hammurabi. In the code, it is suggested that both the accuser and the accused had the right to present
evidence they collected.[2] In the modern era, criminal investigations are most often done by government police
forces. Private investigators are also commonly hired to complete or assist in criminal investigations.
An early recorded professional criminal investigator was the English constable. Around 1250 CE, it was recorded
that the constable was to "... record...matters of fact, not matters of judgment and law.

Investigative techniques
In seeking "indicators of suspicion" in investigations, suspects will need to have had:

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  Motive to commit the crime (for example, financial gain or to seek revenge)
 Means to commit the crime (including tools and physical capabilities)
 Opportunity to commit the crime (including being at the crime scene at the time of the offence)
Persons presenting an alibi can be eliminated from suspicion.
They will also establish the relationships between the victim and any potential offenders.

Investigation priority bias problems and proposed solutions

Criminal investigation at the Lake Bodom murder scene on June 6, 1960, which is still an unsolved homicide case.
Deputy Judge Arvi Vainio (center) leads the investigation.
After observing recent changes in the demographic composition of particular crimes during higher priority of their
investigation, such as the increase of the percentage of women convicted for joining and fighting
for terrorist organizations from a very low percentage (similar to those of murder and rape) to almost as many
women as men (women in the 40–50 percent range in some jurisdictions) as the priority of investigating terror
crimes increased, certain criminologists are expressing the notion that there may be more crimes that would change
their demographics if they got higher priority. These criminologists theorize that in the case of limited budgets,
criminal investigators rely on profiled and statistical likelihood of particular groups of people being convicted for the
type of crimes that are being investigated, and ignore complaints that are filed about people who they consider less
likely to commit the crimes or give the tracking or individual matching to the evidence lower priority. According to the
hypotheses, even a minimal or nonexistent difference in the likelihood of committing crimes can be hidden behind a
difference of a factor by many multiples in the likelihood of being convicted due to self-fulfilling prophecies in the
statistics. These criminologists feel that criminals who are not getting caught, due to being profiled as unlikely
offenders, are a major problem. Some of these criminologists propose an increased number of police officers.
Others argue that investigations of the evidence are more expensive than police patrols and that not all crimes can
be investigated, suggesting that profiling of criminal psychology should be replaced with randomized priorities of
individual suspects within similar types of crime. The latter criminologists also argue that such randomization would
not only fight hidden crimes by exposing the currently unsuspected criminals to the risk of being punished, but also
that the abolition of profiling by forensic psychology and forensic psychiatry would be a monetary saving that could
be used for investigation of technical evidence, tracking of criminals who are hiding, and other investigation work
that can reduce the need to ignore complaints for budget reasons.

TOPIC 3: Importance of investigation

Investigation process

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The Investigation Division is mandated to examine and investigate cases of suspected fraud, corruption, and/or
other wrongdoing relating to the Council of Europe in accordance with its legal framework.

An investigative process is a fact-finding process aimed at establishing whether wrongdoing, as defined in the
Organisation’s legal framework, has occurred. It consists of gathering, securing, and examination of evidence
aiming to establish facts substantiating or refuting allegations, and may consist of several stages (including initial
consideration, preliminary assessment, and investigation).

The process could consist of the following stages:

1. Initial consideration
Screening to determine whether allegations fall within the DIO’s mandate.

2. Preliminary assessment
The purpose of a preliminary assessment is to record and establish basic facts, including: how, when and by whom
the allegation was reported; the nature of the allegation(s); the identity of the alleged wrongdoer, if known; the
identity of any witnesses or other persons involved in the allegation(s); whether the alleged facts can be
substantiated; and the internal rules or regulations which may have been breached.

It aims to assess, among other things, if the alleged facts can be substantiated, check what supporting
documentation or other materials can be found, preserve and secure basic evidence, and determine whether, or
not, an investigation is justified.

3. Investigation
If based upon the results of the preliminary assessment, the Director of Internal Oversight finds that sufficient
grounds exist, they may decide to open an investigation in order to establish relevant facts and, if needed, make
recommendations in this connection. The investigation could consist inter alia in the collection and securing of
physical, documentary, digital, or testimonial evidence, and the production of a confidential investigation report.

4. Follow up

 Reports produced in the context of an investigation are submitted to the Secretary General and may
include recommendations for disciplinary, financial or administrative follow up, or transfer of information to
national judicial or other authorities competent to further investigate the matter.
 The DIO shall also report to senior management on any risks, internal control weaknesses, or other
deficiencies detected as a result of the investigation and issue recommendations to address them.
 The DIO may refer the matter to another body or entity of the Council of Europe for non-disciplinary follow-
up (including financial recovery, as necessary).

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  The DIO may also refer a matter to the Secretary General for further action if it is considered that interim
measures should be taken or to the Director of the Human Ressources if protective measures are deemed
necessary, at any stage of the proceedings.
 The Investigation Division follows up on implementation of the recommendations relating to the preliminary
assessments and investigations.
 The Division may coordinate activities with other Council of Europe bodies and external stakeholders.

TOPIC 4: Guide to writing investigation reports

The Secretary General has the right to decide whether, or not, to open disciplinary proceedings and impose a
disciplinary sanction, as well as on the follow up to be given to recommendations made by the DIO following a
preliminary assessment or an investigation.
As a private investigator, writing investigative reports is a critical piece of both the investigative and post-
investigative processes. In many ways, these reports will form the backbone of what Private Investigators are hired
to do. The reports Private Investigators write are read carefully by a number of parties, such as HR teams, senior
business leadership, police, and possibly even the courts, and the findings and evidence they present are often
used as the basis for future disciplinary and/or legal action. For these reasons, investigative reports must be done
well. If you produce a high-quality investigative report, chances are you will be hired again. Do a poor or sloppy job
and you will likely not be contracted again.
In this post, we will guide you on how to write expert investigative reports that achieve their purposes and function
as testimonials to the quality of work that you do as a Private Investigator. We will explore what an investigative
report is, the various elements of an investigative report, some tips on how to write an investigative report, and ways
to improve your investigative report writing skills.

What is an investigative report?

An investigative report is a document that details the findings (evidence) related to a formal complaint or allegation,
such as a workplace harassment complaint. These reports are often commissioned immediately upon the receipt of
a formal complaint, and they are generally used to establish whether an allegation is supported by the facts.

Elements of an investigative report

Investigative reports can vary in size and scope depending on the type of allegation or complexity of a particular
case. Lesser complaints of harassment that will result in basic disciplinary actions by an HR department generally
require fewer elements than a larger, multi-faceted insurance fraud case destined for the court system. That said, in
general, all reports will include some form of the following elements:

Cover Page

Generally, the very first element of an investigative report is the cover page or case summary page. In the private
investigative context, this page should include a summary of all of the relevant case information in a concise and
scannable format. Information that should appear on this page includes the case number, date, location of the
incident, all relevant contact information, and any other relevant case reference information. For employee cases
commissioned by a business, this would likely include things like the employee’s name, ID number, job code, email
address, and any other identifying employee information required by the company.

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Executive Summary

The Executive Summary is the most important piece of an investigative report. It is also the most read. It should
provide a complete, yet concise, picture of the particular complaint or allegation, the scope of the investigative
activities, a summary of the findings, and a conclusion.

This summary should answer all of the main questions that a person or organization will have about a particular
case, such as:

 What happened?
 Who was involved?

 Where did the incident occur?

 When did it occur?

 How was the investigation conducted?

 What did the investigation find?

 Does the evidence support the complaint or allegation?

 What course of action is recommended?

Allegation Summary

The allegation summary is the place where you will go into the most detail about the specific complaint or allegation.
It will include all of the specific details about what happened, who was involved, when it happened, what events led
up to the incident, who witnessed it, etc.

Details of Investigation

This section of the report is where most of your documentation and detailed work will go in the report. Here you will
carefully, concisely, and completely summarize every aspect of your investigation in an easy-to-follow, highly
detailed, start-to-finish way. You will detail every aspect of your investigation (often in chronological order) and
present key findings and evidence along the way. In many ways, this section of the report will function as a
reference guide for each of the various summary documents in the report and will present the evidence in detail that
led to your various conclusions or recommendations.

Conclusion & Recommendations

The conclusion is where you will wrap up your report with the key evidence that led you to your particular conclusion
and the reasons why you believe the evidence either does or does not support the particular allegation or complaint.
You will also provide any relevant assessments of an individual’s credibility, evaluations of the plausibility of the
incident, and any other judgments that lead you to interpret the evidence the way that you did.

5 Tips for Writing a Successful Investigative Report

While the elements of a report are fairly straightforward, there are some best practices that you must adhere to if
you want your reports to be most effective. These include:

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1. Be clear and concise

The best way to convey your message is to avoid passive tense, jargon, acronyms, big words, long-winded
explanations, and anything else that can clutter up your writing style. Write in a clear, easy-to-follow, straightforward
style with minimal digressions and verbal clutter. Simply state things as they are without any frills.

2. Be detailed

Your job in the reporting process is to be extremely detailed. This means that you will consistently include names,
dates, times, locations, specific quotes, and any other relevant facts in the report. Don’t simply say, “John saw Ali
carrying the stolen files.” Rather, say something like, “John said he saw Ali leaving the west building and walking to
the parking lot at approximately 9:15 p.m. on Friday night. She was carrying a large brown box with a white label on
the side that said Financials.”

3. Be thorough

Double check your details and corroborate them with witnesses if possible. Sometimes it’s easy to take certain facts
for granted. Part of your job in being accurate is to stress-test the various claims made during investigative
interviews and flesh out the reasons why a person feels certain about their recollection of a particular detail or story.
4. Be inclusive of all evidence

Never omit facts that do not fit the narrative. Your report must cover everything, including the pesky facts that don’t
seem to quite fit or may not appear immediately relevant. If you knowingly omit information or evidence from a
report, it can result in serious personal or legal consequences for others and can lead you to develop a negative
reputation within the investigative industry.

5. Be polished

Your writing must be free of grammatical mistakes, syntax issues, formatting issues, misspellings, and anything else
that may call into question the quality of your report. If you’re not the most comfortable in this space, consider hiring
a proofreader or editor to assist you in the creation of the report.

How to improve your investigative report writing skills

Many of the skills that private investigators need to perform their jobs are skills that can be taught. One of the best
and fastest ways to learn these skills is through guided learning and instruction.
At NITA, we offer a variety of online courses to help private investigators improve their skills. Our Field Notes and
Report Writing Course is a great way to learn the core components of how to write an investigative report, as well
as developing an understanding of the importance of observation and memory in the investigative process. You will
also review a number of investigative report examples and learn some additional best practices for writing reports.
Interested in learning more? At NITA, we provide a wide selection of online courses for private investigators. We
offer courses for people just setting out on their PI certification journey and seasoned private investigators looking
to continue their education or maintain their certification.

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