CHAPTER IX

INVESTIGATION REPORT

Investigation is one of the three basic functions of the police organization in addition to
crime preventive and traffic management. An investigation is a fact-finding examination
into reported criminal cases and cases of people within the front-lines of the
government service, especially the police and law enforcement officer.

This portion is designed to serve as a guide or as a ready reference and a step-by-step

procedure that will help a report writer to make his investigation report. This is
considered part of the general action process in making an investigative inquiry into
allegations of impropriety committed by an individual, juridical or natural person,
individually or collectively.

What is Investigation Report?

In criminal investigation, the arrangement of the materials presented in an investigation

report follows a certain pattern. The idea is for the report to be easily followed and
understood. On top of the letterhead, and on the lower fold portion of the paper, the
word CONFIDENTIAL is typed or stamped, usually larger than the size of the letters of
documents.

The form is similar to the memorandum form except that the text or body has different
parts. However, if a part is not important because it is included in another part, it may
be excluded. Parts are capitalized, and followed by a colon. All the paragraphs
composing the text of the report are numbers consecutively in Arabic numerals.

Requisites of an Investigation Report

The investigation report is complete when it answers the six- interrogative of police
report writing, the SWs and IH. It also provides in brief, the sworn statements executed
by the individuals having an interest in the case being investigated. Copies of these
statements become integral parts of the report and are listed in the annexes.

The Investigation report is considered an internal communication, and it addressed to

the Chief of Police (COP), signed by the Investigator-On- Case (10C), and noted by the
Chief, Station Investigation Section (C. SIS). With It usually follows the Inspectorate
General’s (IG) prescribed format. Little modification.

The originating functional section should be able to provide the addressee with
complete details and accurate facts of the case, hence, the transmittal should contain
the summary of the investigation report in memorandum form if the addressees are
within the police force, and in civilian letter form, if addressed outside of the police
organization. In some instances, this type of report is also required by the prosecutor’s
office and the courts, purposely for them to acquire information relative to the case. The
prosecutor’s office uses the

Investigation report as an aid in filing the appropriate case, while the court more
particularly in minor offenses, uses the investigation report to determine the innocence
or guilt of the accused.
Parts of an Investigation Report

Following are the different parts of an investigation report:

1. Authority

2. Matters Investigated

3. Facts of the case

4. Discussion

5. Conclusion

6. Recommendation

Considerations in Investigation Report

1. Paragraphs subdivision should be numbered consecutively all throughout rather than

separately under each subdivision.

2. In the list of annexes, only five letters are used, and in case of additional sworn
statements, add annex “C-3,” etc.,

3. The investigation report should be treated as classified documents and must be

provided with the appropriate security classifications.

4. As to format, the memorandum form is used, but the body of report must be in
Inspectorate General format.

Standards of Investigation Report

1. Independent

2. Accountable

3. Complete

4. Timely

Purpose of an Investigation Report

1. Document for Action

2. Record of Performance

3. Document for Legal Issues

4. Enhancement f the Investigation

5. Control and Preventive Measures

Nature of Investigation Report

1. Fair and Impartial

2. Limited Distribution

3. Ensuring Confidentiality

4. Non-Biased Approach

5. Includes Recommendations for Actions

6. Identify Problems

Summarizing the Investigation Report

Summarizing the investigation report using the memorandum form serving as its
transmittal to intermediate police offices or other concerned government agencies is
one of the final steps in completing the report. In making the summary, it is important
that the following parts must be included: introduction, purpose of the report, facts of
the case in brief, conclusions, and recommendations.

The summary should consist of a paragraph or two that provides the readers with an
overview of the investigation, i.c., the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN and WHY. It should
describe what caused the case under investigation or the causal hypothesis based on
the evidence. It also includes the specific events that led to the investigation, such as:
(1) how the case was first reported, (2) steps undertaken to confirm the reported
incident, and (3) all other agencies that assisted in the investigation.

Although narrating the facts and circumstances in brief, and which is considered as an
important backgrounder in the investigation report, the conclusions deduced and the
recommendations made must be presented verbatim in the summary. This should be
made, most likely if the results of the investigation require appropriate action on the
part of the receiving intermediate police offices.

The purpose of the summary Is for the reader of the investigation report not to go all
throughout in reading the report, but what is important is for him to have a clear picture
or vivid idea of what the investigation report is all about, and to use it as basis in
instituting appropriate or remedial action to all the individual persons or concerned
agencies involved in the allegations, which is the subject of an inquiry.

The summary of the investigation report serves as its transmittal, and should be signed
by the head of office, thus the report itself should be made as an enclosure of the
summary, including all its annexes. This also includes the action instituted over the case
by the originating office. At the end of the summary, the sender should include the
action he is requesting from the addressee.