a criminal investigation refers to the 

process of collecting information (or

evidence) about a crime in order to: (1) determine if a crime has been committed;
(2) identify the perpetrator; (3) apprehend the perpetrator; and (4) provide
evidence to support a conviction in court.

The process of investigation enables the police to identify the perpetrator, to arrest him
and to gather all the material evidence essential for the prosecution of the accused. ... To
discover and arrest the suspect; To search and seize all the material evidence essential
for the trial before the court of law.

Six steps for successful incident investigation

STEP 1 – IMMEDIATE ACTION. ...

STEP 2 – PLAN THE INVESTIGATION. ...
STEP 3 – DATA COLLECTION. ...
STEP 4 – DATA ANALYSIS. ...
STEP 5 – CORRECTIVE ACTIONS. ...
STEP 6 – REPORTING.

3 types tools of methods of investigation

Tools To establish facts and develop evidence, a criminal investigator must use these tools-
information, interview, interrogation, and instrumentation. 

The Golden Rule in Criminal Investigation. “ Do not touch, alter, move, or transfer any object
at the crime scene unless it is properly marked, measured, sketched and/or
photographed .”