Republic of the Philippines

NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
COLLEGE OF CRIMINOLOGY
Name: __________________________________ Date & Class Sched: __________________
Section: _______________

LESSON 2: USES OF POLICE REPORT AND CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE REPORT WRITING

A. USES OF REPORTS
1. They serve as records for police administration in planning, directing, and organizing the unit's
duties.
If a police station chief receives several reports of vehicular accidents in a particular
area, he will probably recommend road improvements to local authorities. If he reads several
reports on extortion by police officers who are assigned to maintain a smooth flow of traffic in
their area of operation, he will possibly issue a directive to all concerned, warning them of
disciplinary actions if such malpractice continues.

2. It can be used as legal documents in the prosecution of criminals.

To avoid confusion on the witness stand, a police officer can make a solid report that will
be clear, accurate, and complete. A witnessing officer is not at all apprehensive or hesitant in
answering questions by examining or cross-examining lawyers because he has a ground
technical report as a piece of evidence during the trial.

3. It can be used as a reference by related agencies in the service.

The law enforces the exchange of information among them. A crime investigated in one
station can be useful to another.

4. It can be useful to local media, which usually have access to public documents for accurate
statistics.

5. It can be a basis for research among students in Criminology, law enforcement, police
administration, and other related agencies.

B. CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE REPORT (CONTENT AND FORM)

1. Accurate and Specific
➢ Accuracy means not only being exact but also not committing errors. Words presented must
be precise and correct. The report must be free from mistakes or errors.
➢ Akin to accuracy is specificity. The use of specific words in conveying ideas most clearly to
the readers is very important.

NOTE:
❖ 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

➢ This means that reports should be short or economy of words. Use necessary words only as
you retain the natural tone of your sentences.
➢ 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.

NOTE:
➢ To make your reports brief and concise, avoid the use of redundant or
superfluity, jargons, triteness, and misleading euphemisms, among others .

Transforming Communities through Science and Technology www.neust.edu.ph

 Republic of the Philippines
NUEVA ECIJA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED
COLLEGE OF CRIMINOLOGY
3. 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).

4. 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 investigations and gathering facts and pieces of
evidence.

5. Well-organized and Grammatically Correct

➢ Chronological order is usually used in organizing and writing the facts in the 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.
➢ 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 it 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.

SELF-LEARNING ASSESSMENT
Instructions: Read each statement carefully. Determine if the statement is true or false based on what
you have learned about the uses of police reports and characteristics of effective report writing. Write
your answer on the space before each number.

_______ 1. Police reports are only used internally within the police department.
_______ 2. An effective police report should be factual and free from personal opinions.
_______ 3. The primary audience for police reports includes only the police officers themselves.
_______ 4. Details about the scene, witnesses, and evidence are irrelevant in a police report.
_______ 5. Clarity and conciseness are unnecessary characteristics of an effective police report.
_______ 6. Police reports can be used as legal documents in courts.
_______ 7. It is acceptable for a police report to omit details about the time and location of the
incident.
_______ 8. Police reports should be written in a manner that is understandable to someone without law
enforcement training.
_______ 9. Using jargon and complex language makes a police report more effective.
_______ 10. The narrative section of a police report should include the officer's speculations about
what happened.
_______ 11. Police reports play a crucial role in the investigation process.
_______ 12. Effective report writing involves organizing information in a random order.
_______ 13. A police report should provide a clear and accurate record of an event for future
reference.
_______ 14. Including false information in a police report is acceptable if it leads to a quicker
resolution of the case.
_______ 15. Every police report needs to follow a standardized format to ensure consistency and
completeness.

Prepared by: LORIEJANE S. JOSE, PhD

CDI 5 Instructor

Transforming Communities through Science and Technology www.neust.edu.ph